A Problem Solved
by Sampug394
Summary: A XANA attack leads to a personal revelation between Odd and Aelita - of Love. Will they be able to keep their group's friendship together as their passion for each other grows deeper? UPDATED AND COMPLETE - Story #1 of a massive planned series - Rated T for romance of the OxA sort, and teenage drama...
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the third revamp of my first Fanfiction story! APS has held a subtle legacy among my work as being one of my most popular fics and is the starting point for a particularly long series I have been planned in my head and have partially written for many months. This story is now fully updated, and has undergone MASSIVE amounts of improvement - Embrace the changes, and enjoy!**

~SMPG394

* * *

Odd, Aelita, Ulrich and Yumi were all finishing Dinner in the Cafeteria. It was a dark, brooding night, and weather was on it's way as the cafeteria hosted another round of Rosa's dinners.

"...And that..." Odd slurped down the last of the soup left in his bowl. "...Is pretty much why I will never understand outsourcing."

Yumi eyed the time on her phone.

"I should probably go... It's late, and the last thing I need is Hiroki tattling on me again."

She eyed Ulrich, and he yawned.

"Right behind you."

The four of them stood with their trays, and as they walked towards the cafeteria's doorway, Odd looked over and watched as streaks of water began sliding down the dark windows.

Stepping outside, their eyes then rose into the sky.

"Rain. What else is new." He blinked.

The sky brightened from a streak of lightning, and he glanced at Aelita, who suddenly had a worried look on her face.

"We'd better get inside before we get electrocuted or something." Ulrich warned, motioning the others along as they ducked low and hustled over to the dormitories, bursting inside seconds later.

Catching breath amongst the low rumble of thunder outside, the group then traded looks.

"I wonder how Einstein's doing at the factory...?"

"Nevermind him. How am I going to get home?" Yumi huffed. "There's no way I'm going outside in all this."

The four of them looked out of the doors behind, but were suddenly blinded from a flash of light.

"What-."

***KA-BOOM***

An explosion ripped through the air outside, rattling the glass as electricity arced and distant sparks suddenly flew asunder under the pouring rain, as an alarmingly loud clap of thunder roared outside of the dormitories.

Then, amongst the cacophony of terrifying noise, the moment was punctuated as the lights above them went out, leaving many teens wide-eyed and terrified as the thunder echoed into the night sky.

"What do we do now?" Aelita asked, quite bewildered.

"You and Ulrich should go tell Mr. Delmas." Odd nodded at Yumi, causing her to roll her eyes.

"After what just happened? You think I want to be out in this?!"

Ulrich got a hold of her arm, and her glare softened.

"We have to do something. We can't just stand here."

"Aelita and I will stay here and lay low... Call one of us if you find the principal." Odd spoke, put his arm around her in a comforting manner.

Yumi and Ulrich's eyes took in the weather outside, and then they traded nods.

"Let's go."

Aelita watched as they ran back outside, and when the door shut again, she looked at Odd with particular concern.

"...Xana?"

"Maybe."

"I hope they'll be okay..."

The blonde looked at her, and after hesitation, he tugged her into a hug, smiling as she squeezed him.

"They'll be fine... And so will we."

She exhaled, and Odd briefly rubbed her back, realizing after a little while their hug lasted a little longer than expected.

"Hey..."

Her head rose from his voice, and after blinking, both of them released the other, blushing and stepping back after their eyes met for a moment.

"Sorry..."

"No no, it's alright." She spoke.

Her eyes sank to the floor, and then her head turned to the stairwell just beyond as he stepped towards it.

"I feel like we'd be a little safer if we weren't next to a metal door."

"Yeah...We'll go to my room."

His eyebrow rose.

"Alright, Princess."


	2. Chapter 2

The pair walked in silence towards Aelita's room, with only passing glances at other students huddled in groups in the hallways.

Partway up the stairwell, she eyed him, but after a brief trade of looks, her head turned away.

"I wonder if Jeremy even knows what's going on right now..."

Aelita rolled her eyes.

"Probably not... Knowing how he likes to ignores things."

Odd's eyebrow rose from her reply, but he kept his mouth shut as they came up to her door.

Aelita grasped the handle, but paused.

"Odd..."

Their eyes met once more.

"...Yes?"

She turned her head, breathing quietly amongst the pause, and then opened the door.

Several footsteps inside, she turned and leaned against the wall, touching her hand upon the blonde's shoulder, and bringing him to a stop.

"...Thank you for staying with me right now."

He smiled for a moment, but it faded away when he noticed her glare towards the floor.

"I figured you needed some comfort."

She sighed.

"More often than you think..."

Their eyes then met each other again, and Odd sighed,

"Aelita... If you're... Well... Why don't you ever tell me when you need someone to talk to?"

She hesitated.

"...Because _I_ can't just disappear with you, Because _I_ always have to be around to do something involving computers and Lyoko and all of that with Jeremy just ignoring me during it all."

She stared at him unhappily, but then shook her head, and looked towards the floor for a moment.

Odd then tilted his head a little bit, interested.

"I want to live like somebody normal, Odd. I'm tired of having to slave over all this digital and electronic nonsense. I _hate_ Xana, and I _hate_ having to worry about the next time he decides to endanger everybody."

She sighed sadly.

"...I'm sick of being responsible for saving the world, and I'm tired of being blown off by Jeremy because he can't find time to comfort me."

Aelita then shut her eyes, ashamed.

"...Now that I think about it, there's actually many times I wish you had been around to talk to, Odd."

He reached over and gently got a hold of her hand, and her eyes quickly opened.

"Aelita... I know its been a few years and you have your memory back and all... But I still worry about you." He sighed, running his thumb across her knuckles.

She turned slightly red, watching and feeling his finger move.

"I mean, I worry about Xana and my grades and stuff all the time... But I always see you unhappy so often, and whenever it seems like a great time that I should give you a big hug or something, you get whisked away somewhere else."

Her mouth opened. And then shut.

"Why didn't you ever tell me..." She whispered sadly.

"...Because I care about you, and don't want to interfere with what's going on between you and Jeremy."

Aelita covered her eyes with her free hand.

"You _should _have. Somebody should have. Its not how it used to be anymore."

She then reached out and grabbed his other hand, and squeezed both firmly, surprising the blonde.

"...And now, You're starting to become the only person I can honestly confide in..."

.

He smiled slightly, but after a bit of eye play, he gripped her hands.

"Aelita."

Her green eyes rose back up from their fingers.

"Can I tell you something that's kinda... _Personal?_"

She watched him with quiet curiosity, and he exhaled.

"I know you know that... You've always had a special place in my heart..."

His pause lingered, and a smile graced his lips as his eyes went from her hands to her face.

"...But, I think you've always deserved more than just part of it."

Her mouth opened as a breath left.

"Odd..."

Her fingers re-grasped his, and his face grew red as she studied his emotion.

"...What are you trying to tell me?"

He swallowed, slowly pulled her away from the wall, and closed the gap between them with an embrace.

"Isn't it... Obvious?" He whispered.

An exhale turned into a whimper as she stared at him.

"Oddddd..."

His eyes shut with an exhale.

"Aelita."

They reopened, and the patter of rain against the bedroom window filled their ears amongst the silence.

"I love you."

Her mouth moved, and a breath left her lungs as her heart beat hard.

"I..."

His blush remained as she watched him, taking in his words.

Then, their fingers pushed together, and a blush arose on her own cheeks.

"Odd, if... If you mean that..."

"Princess..."

His eyelids lowered as he spoke, softly.

"...I mean it. "

.

Then, to prove so, he touched his lips to her's in a gentle, first kiss...


	3. Chapter 3

The pair sat together on Aelita's bed, preserving the silence that hung under the low patter of rain.

Something more lay under their friendship all along, but she never expected anything to come of it - Until five minutes ago.

.

They both looked at the window when the sky lit up from another flash of lightning, and Aelita's hand descended onto blonde's, bringing his eyes to hers.

"Odd."

He watched her patiently, waiting as her mind formed words.

"...I'm not sure if I know what love is actually like."

"You're... Not?"

"I mean... I think I've felt it once or twice... But I don't know anymore."

His hand collected hers, and she sighed.

"I think that's why we're so close, Odd. You'd know best out of anyone... And you're always caring and worrying about me."

"Everybody else cares and worries about you too, Princess."

"Yes... But not the way you do."

He exhaled, heart on fire.

"Aelita..."

He fumbled as her expression grew pensive.

"Odd... You said you love me. You must know what love is like."

"I... Well..."

She watched his blush appear in the darkness.

"I guess what I'm saying is, If _you_ know..."

Her own face turned red as the thought completed in her head.

"...Can you show _me _what its like?"

.

The blonde's mind ran in a million directions, and then stopped.

His free hand found hers, and a cautious smile arose on his face as thunder rumbled in the distance among the rainfall.

"I can try."

.

He then jumped when his phone started buzzing, and their hands slipped apart as he retrieved it.

.

(Odd) "Ulrich?"

(Ulrich) "We need to get to the factory right away - Couldn't find Mr. Delmas, and Jeremy is not answering his phone."

(Odd) "Xana?"

(Ulrich) "I would say so."

(Odd) "We'll be there."

(Ulrich) "Take the sewer - It's too risky above ground."

Aelita stood up.

"We're on our way, Ulrich."

(Ulrich) "Good."

.

Odd ended the call, and stood up next to her.

"I had a feeling Xana might be behind this weather."

"And we have no way out of here without going into the storm first."

"We'll go for the boiler room. The park's too risky with all the trees."

She nodded, and they both stepped out of her room, shutting the door behind before proceeding down the stairs.

* * *

Upon reaching the dark, empty hallway a story lower, Odd peeped at Aelita.

"Up for a run?"

She nodded, and they broke into a mad dash down the hall, rounding corners and circling down the square stairwell to the bottom floor, reaching the main doorway within seconds.

With a peek through the glass panes, the blonde shoved open the doors to the outside, and both of them took in the dark, angry sky night sky above.

Sucking in preparative breaths, their hands found their way back together, and then the pair charged outside into the darkness, running across dangerously open ground in the pouring rain as fast as they could, finding their way to one of the other buildings on the campus.

Odd hurriedly yanked the door open, and Aelita sauntered in first, discovering that there was still power to the rest of the campus.

She turned around, and watched as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, shaking his head around to get water out of his hair, and then shrugged.

"Just a bunch of rain."

Suddenly, the outside lit up in a flash, and Aelita's eyes widened as the every light inside the building went out - The building rattled as a thunderous roar erupted just outside, and both of them froze as the hallway vanished into an eerily silent, pitch black tunnel.


	4. Chapter 4

Aelita regained her wits, staying still in the darkness.

"Odd!"

"Right here."

She looked towards the origin of the voice, and huffed sadly. Then, a small square of light appeared, and she could see his face.

"There we go..." He muttered, and then shined the light of his phone in front of him, right at Aelita.

She breathed a sigh of relief as it got closer, accompanied by footsteps, until Odd was right in front of her.

He shined the light under both of their faces, and Aelita surrounded him in a tight hug.

"That was a little too close." He whispered.

She nuzzled his neck.

"It's definitely Xana."

They stood together in the black silence, separating again a moment later.

"We've got to get to the boiler room."

* * *

Shining the phone's light ahead, the blonde led Aelita along by her hand, keeping her close as she refused to let go.

They walked forward together, keeping a constant eye on their whereabouts, and using the walls as a reference. Then, after two corners, they finally came up to the door they were looking for.

Aelita felt her way to the door handle, and pushed it open, letting go of his hand at the same time as he pocketed his phone.

"There you are!" Ulrich looked over at them.

Odd squinted from the light inside the room, and they both bumbled in from the complete darkness outside, shutting the door behind.

Yumi pushed off of the wall.

"That last one was pretty close."

"It almost hit me." Odd grunted, and her eyes widened.

"We need to get to the factory pronto. None of us have any idea what's going on with Jeremy."

Ulrich turned and opened the opposite door, and a waft of the dank sewer scent drifted inside as they crowded around the door, breaking into single file as they hustled down the curved stairwell.

Towards the end, the light inside grew dimmer and dimmer, and Aelita cautiously peeked at Odd as the tunnel grew dark again.

Suddenly, Ulrich yelped.

"There's water - _Everywhere!_"

He turned around, his shoes sloshing through several inches of cold water.

Yumi stepped out of the entrance, and winced.

"Looks like the whole place flooded."

They looked back at Aelita and Odd, who stood on the edge of the doorway, peering outside at the dimly lit sewers.

Aelita stepped down first, and shivered. Even her boots weren't _that_ waterproof.

Odd finally stepped down next to her, and grimaced.

"...Cold."

"Let's keep moving."

The four of them continued along by foot though the dim light, with the splash of their steps being the only noise, echoing into the pipe's depth as they made their way towards the factory...


	5. Chapter 5

The four of them finally found their way to the ladder underneath the bridge, and Ulrich was first to go up. He slid the man-hole cover open, and was promptly greeted with numerous drops of rain.

Crawling out, he crouched down low, and watched as Yumi appeared, and knelt next to him.

When Odd appeared, Ulrich stood, but kept his head down.

"We need to get off this bridge as soon as we can. We're out in the open!"

Odd grunted as he pulled himself out, and then turned around and grasped Aelita's hand, helping her up as she hurriedly stepped out, and then turning and running across the bridge under the dark sky of rainfall, coming to a halt safely underneath the roof of the factory once more.

Odd turned around, and stuck his tongue out at the rainfall outside, and after waiting a few moments, as Ulrich and Yumi slid down the cable, he was greeted by the rumble of another clap of thunder.

He chuckled, and turned back around, watching as Aelita cautiously slid down it afterward, and then leaping and sliding down the cable himself.

Joining the others on the floor of the factory, the blonde stood beside Aelita as the metal door of the elevator noisily lifted upward.

"I guess we're gonna finally find out what's going on around here..." Yumi muttered.

.

They crowded inside, and after a few moments, the elevator car descended down the shaft, on its way to the supercomputer room.

* * *

As it made its way down, the group held their silence, not sure what to expect.

Aelita studied the complex door as it opened, but her eyes rose, and fell upon Jeremy, who was pattering away on the keyboard of the supercomputer.

.

"Hey, Jeremy!" Yumi called to him, and they all walked out into the room behind her.

He turned around in the seat, looking somewhat surprised to see all of them.

"Uhh, Hey."

"..._Hey_? Do you have any idea what's going on outside?" Ulrich snapped.

"Yes, Ulrich, I do."

"It's Xana. No doubt about it." Yumi added, watching as Ulrich stepped up beside her, pointing at Jeremy.

"Is there a reason you wouldn't answer your phone earlier?"

"The battery is dead." He said flatly, and then looked over his shoulder when the Supercomputer displayed there was an activated tower.

"Look - You guys should get to the scanners - I'll virtualize you all when you're ready."

He turned to face the supercomputer again, and resumed typing.

Ulrich scoffed, and turned around to face Odd.

The four of them exchanged confused looks, and Yumi shrugged.

Without a further word, the four of them turned around, and as they walked back to the elevator, Jeremy turned in the chair again.

"Aelita."

She paused, and her face grew pale.

"...Wait until I virtualize the others, and then you can go."

She resumed walking, and once she was inside the Elevator, Ulrich slammed the up button with his palm.

The door shut in its complex fashion, and as the elevator went up, he turned around and looked at his other three friends.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that noticed..."

"We all did." Aelita said quietly.

"Since when does Einstein let his phone go dead?" Odd questioned.

They all looked at the door when the elevator slowed to a stop, and Yumi huffed.

"Look - We'll let him virtualize us right now, but if it gets weird on Lyoko, don't hesitate to devirtualize me."

"...Stick with me then." Ulrich grunted, watching as the elevator door opened.

They gathered in the center of the room, and after giving each other a nod, separated into individual scanners.

"We're ready, Jeremy." Yumi spoke.

Aelita sat herself on the floor hatch in the middle of the room, and watched as each of the scanner doors shut and activated.

She waved to Odd just before his shut, and sighed.

.

Jeremy's voice came over the intercom, and after a few moments, the three scanners opened again.

She stepped inside the one Odd was just in, and shut her eyes.

"Ready, Jeremy."


	6. Chapter 6

Odd, Ulrich and Yumi were all materialized upon Lyoko in the Ice sector, and were waiting patiently for Aelita to appear with them.

After a few moments, the three of them looked at each other curiously.

"Jeremy... Did you virtualize Aelita?"

"She's on the way."

Odd looked up into the dark blue sky above them, waiting patiently for her to appear, and Ulrich traded a look with Yumi.

Suddenly, hearing a yelp in the distance, the three of them whirled around.

"Aelita!"

Odd started into a run towards the girl as she fell to the surface far away, but was suddenly pelted by a laser, and sent head over heels onto the ground behind.

Ulrich quickly unsheathed his katana, and deflected several more shots of laser fire in front of Yumi, smiling as she flung both of her fans forward around him.

They soared through the air, and found their mark on two Hornets that were closing in, destroying both in seconds.

* * *

Aelita got to her feet, only to realize her island of ice was surrounded by water.

She looked across, and saw Odd screech to a halt at the edge of the ice on the opposite side, but then watched as a tarantula virtualized right next to him. It crashed to the surface, and Odd ducked as it swung at him with one of its legs, breaking into a run to gain some distance.

Not a moment later, another Tarantula virtualized in front of both Ulrich and Yumi, and Aelita put her hand over her mouth, only to watch a third Tarantula appear behind the second.

She looked at her island, and the mainland in the distance, and thinking quickly, sank to her knees and put her hands together.

* * *

Ulrich held his sword at the ready in front of him, but then Yumi watched in disbelief as a fourth Tarantula fell to the ground, and spotting them both, it knelt down, stuck it's front legs out, and then unleashed a barrage of laser fire at them.

"Ulrich, this is bad - Really bad."

"You're telling me!" He grunted as he deflected a majority of the fire, and then watched as the Tarantula in front of him grew impatient, and sat itself down too.

"...Devirtualize me - _Now!_" Yumi whispered, and shut her eyes.

Ulrich gritted his teeth, and within a second, swung himself around, slicing his Katana right through Yumi and then kicking the leg of the Tarantula in front of him away just as it fired a shot.

He thrust the katana up through the head of the Tarantula, and then ran clear as it exploded.

Somewhat surprised, the remaining two tarantulas glanced at each other, and then resumed their fire at him.

* * *

Aelita sprinted over the large arch of ice she had created, and reaching the mainland, she paused, and looked around for Odd, blinking when he ran out from behind a pillar of ice with a tarantula in tow.

"Jeremy - Are you there?"

Hearing no answer, she shook her head, but her attention went back to Odd when she heard shots being fired.

Odd slid on his back across the ice, firing several Laser arrows at the pursuing monster, but it was quickly over him, and tried again to strike him with it's leg. He barely rolled out of the way, and after a third attempt failed, the Tarantula growled angrily.

He got to his feet, and then jumped up at it, grabbing a firm hold of its snout and wrapping his legs around its head, clutching onto the tarantula as it tried desperately to smack him off, but he then let go of its snout, keeping himself on with his legs only.

"Down here!" He taunted, proceeded to punch its snout repeatedly.

The tarantula, furious, tossed its head upwards, which proved to be a mistake - Odd floated momentarily into the air, and then landed astride of its neck, putting a laser arrow point blank into its head.

Aelita propped her arm on her side, and watched as the blonde jumped off in a front flip, landing on all fours just as the tarantula behind exploded in defeat.

He noticed her upon standing upright, but his smile vanished when a Krabe virtualized right behind her, and smashed to the ground.

Aelita turned around, and gasped as it thrust one of it's legs forcefully into the ice in front of her, causing her to start backing away.

Its other leg stabbed into the ice closer than before, and Aelita watched fearfully as it started to charge up its three-point laser, lifting up her hand in a late attempt at self defense.

"Energ-."

Suddenly, Odd's arms surrounded her.

"_Shield!_"

A purple disc of energy appeared in front of his arms, and absorbed the impact from the laser, and both of them watched as a silvery flash chopped it's front-right leg off.

It fell forward and Odd raised his left arm, shooting a laser arrow directly into the top of the Krabe, bringing his shield back up as it exploded into pieces right in front of him and Aelita.

She shut her eyes, and relaxed back against Odd, and Ulrich sheathed his Katana as he stood next to them.

"Your tower awaits."

She looked at him, and a smile found its way back to her face.

"Thank you."

Odd helped her up, and then looked around.

"Where's Yumi?"

They looked up as there was a fumbling noise over the intercom.

"...Right here - Xana's possessed Jeremy, and I've been contending with him in the lab."

"I knew it!" Ulrich frowned.

There was more fumbling, and then a strange electrical noise, and after hearing her yelp, Ulrich looked at Aelita warily.

"We need to get to the tower right now."

The three of them broke into a run towards the activated tower in the distance, and upon reaching it, Odd and Ulrich halted as Aelita phased through to the inside.

* * *

After a few moments, Odd watched proudly as the aura around the top changed from red to white. She phased back out of the tower moments later, and walked over next to the boys.

All three of them looked back up into the sky when they heard more noise over the intercom, and Aelita huffed.

"Is somebody there?"

"Jeremy is." His voice came over, and they all smiled.

"Can we be brought back to earth now?" Odd asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Sure!"

Aelita watched as they devirtualized one by one, until she too, disappeared off Lyoko...


	7. Chapter 7

Ulrich looked over his shoulder as the door in front of the elevator opened, watching as Yumi and Jeremy stepped out.

"Is everybody okay?"

Aelita's eyes widened for a moment, hearing his voice.

"Despite being chased, shot at, and almost crushed, Yes, I think we're okay." Odd spoke, crossing his arms.

Jeremy eyed the four of them, noticing they were all quiet.

"...How bad was I?"

"Four Tarantulas, two Hornets, and one Krabe, just for Aelita." Odd counted them off on his fingers, and then looked at Aelita, who nodded.

Jeremy corrected his glasses.

"_Four_ Tarantulas?"

"All in the same place. Odd played tag with one."

Odd frowned at Ulrich when he looked back at the blonde.

"_Tag?_ I'd like to see you wrestle with a big monster like that, Ulrich!"

Yumi put her hand to her face, amused.

"Why bother, when you can stab them in the head?" The brunette chuckled.

Odd rolled his eyes.

"...Should I do a return to the past?" Jeremy spoke

"_No._" Odd and Aelita said in unison.

They quickly looked at each other, and then at Jeremy, who blinked.

"I'm sure they can fix the electricity by tomorrow or so... Just say it was nature's doing." Odd shrugged.

"...And a return trip would only make Xana stronger." Aelita added.

Jeremy touched his hand to his chin.

"You've got a point..."

He then turned around, and walked back into the elevator.

"...Let's get back to school."

Everybody stepped in behind him, and Aelita traded a look with Odd as the door shut, and the car rose up through the shaft.

* * *

The group found their way up to the bridge over the canal, and the rain had since stopped as they walked back to the Academy.

Aelita took in a big breath of the cool, night air, and smiled.

"Smells... Wonderful."

"Ozone... Brought down from the atmosphere by the rain." Jeremy smiled.

She then peeped over at Odd.

"The sweet smell of death from above..." He raised his arms. "...It waters your plants and cleans the streets, but when you're not looking, it quietly plots how to drown you." He shut one eye and squinted at her.

.

She giggled, and watched as Ulrich set his hand on Odd's shoulder.

"You should make a horror movie about killer rain. Blockbuster status right there."

Odd touched his thumb to the bottom of his chin, thinking.

"...That would be called hail, Ulrich." Jeremy looked back at him.

He stared at the blonde, and then looked at Yumi when she ran her hand through her hair.

"So... Does anybody have plans for this weekend?"

"Visiting my parents..." Jeremy huffed. "They're getting tired of not hearing from me very often."

Yumi looked at Aelita, but she simply shrugged.

"I guess I'll just hang around." Ulrich mumbled, looking over with the others as everybody's eyes fell upon Odd.

"Swimming!" He raised his finger.

"After what we just dealt with?"

"...Why not?" Aelita smiled, and moved over by his side as they walked.

"Its springtime anyway... Been waiting for the pool to reopen for a while now."

Ulrich checked his phone, and then exhaled.

"I guess... Not like I have anything better to do."

"...Then I'll come too." Yumi concluded. "Last thing I want to do is be stuck at home with Hiroki again."

Odd beamed.

"_Nobody_ objects a visit to the pool."

He watched Aelita prod his arm with her finger.

"You'd better keep an eye on the water or it'll get yoouuu..."

Odd touched his hand to his cheek in false surprise.

"...I almost forgot! I would've been a goner if you hadn't reminded me."

The five of them broke into laughter as they found their way into the grove of trees that surrounded the Academy, but after a few moments, hushed as they weaved their way through the trees.

"I hope nobody minds that we've been gone all night..." Jeremy whispered.

* * *

Tiptoeing up the stairs inside the dormitories, the group found their way into the hall, and eventually, to Jeremy's room.

He slipped inside, and shut the door, and Yumi quietly sighed.

"I'm not even going to bother going home this late..."

"Just stay in our room."

She looked at Ulrich, and then Odd.

"...You sure?"

"Yeah." Both of the boys nodded. "Text your parents and tell them you'll be here for the night."

"I'll be surprised if I _don't_ get in trouble..." She said quietly.

The four of them walked to Odd and Ulrich's shared room, and Ulrich led Yumi inside, and started digging around for a blanket.

Odd watched for a moment, but then was pulled aside from the doorway by Aelita.

She gently grasped his hand, and a smile formed on his face as they met eye to eye.

"...Where's Odd?" A muffled voice said.

"I'm taking Aelita to her room." He peeked around the corner of the door frame.

"...Alright. Yumi needs a pillow."

"I've got an extra one." Aelita spoke up.

"Good."

Odd looked back at her, and then motioned towards the stairwell to her room.

* * *

The two walked up the stairs together, trying to stay as quiet as possible while approaching her door.

Upon reaching it, Aelita gingerly twisted the handle, and they entered her room without making a sound, closing it behind with a barely audible *click*.

Odd raised his eyebrow as both of his hands were grasped, and he was towed towards the center of her room, standing together with their fingers mingling in the darkness.

She studied his face, and eventually, found her way into his eyes.

"Della Robbia."

He smiled, raising his hand and touching her chin, and she ever-so-slightly blushed.

"...Princess Aelita."

Her heart fluttered, and her face turned redder, and she pulled his hand back down from her chin, squeezing it with her own.

"Thank you... For saving me again."

"Oh, its just part of the job."

His head moved around, and he pressed a kiss into her cheek.

"...But you're quite welcome anyway."

A sigh left her lungs, and she released his hands, wrapping her arms around him instead.

Returning the hug, the blonde squeezed her tight, and their eyes closed as they stood in a soothing embrace.

Their own breaths, were the only sounds heard amongst the silence of night.

* * *

Odd's eyes slowly opened from his phone buzzing in his pocket.

"...I think I'm being waited on." He whispered.

Aelita relinquished herself from the blonde, and turned around, fetching a pillow off of her bed and placing it in his arms.

She looked at it, and her eyes rose back up to his face.

"Tommorow?"

"The pool."

"Is that... A date?"

A smile bloomed on his lips.

"Maybe..."

He turned and walked over to the door, and she stepped over behind him as he pulled it open.

"Goodnight, Aelita."

She exhaled as he stepped into the hallway, eying her briefly.

"Good night..." She mumbled, her heart aching in response as the door slowly shut.

Her eyes lowered to the floor below. _A date...?_

She turned, kicked off her boots, and sat down on her bed, looking at the window.

_Yes. I've been on a date... But not with Odd, and not swimming._

_How do you date in a pool anyway?_

Her arms moved back as she held herself upright from behind.

_I guess I'll find out..._


	8. Chapter 8

_The next morning..._

* * *

Odd's eyes peeked open, and his head turned, spotting Ulrich who was still dead to the world in his bed.

He sat up, and nearly stepped off, but then halted, seeing Yumi lying just under his foot.

Stepping aside, he stretched with a quiet groan, and then dug around in his closet for a few moments, trying to make as little noise as possible.

A change of clothes later, he tiptoed along the floor to the door, twisting the handle of the door. Upon opening, he poked his head out, and suddenly discovered that Aelita was leaning on the wall just to his left.

"Hey." He smiled at the slightly startled girl.

She peeked in over his shoulder, and he stepped out, shutting the door behind and leaving Ulrich and Yumi peacefully asleep.

"...Got everything?"

She lifted her arm in response, displaying the towel draped upon it, and they both turned and walked down the hallway together in relative silence, passing Jeremy's door after a few seconds.

A trade of looks, and Aelita nodded in confirmation, having checked his room earlier.

* * *

Stepping outside into the new morning, the pair filled their lungs with fresh air, noticing and breifly watching as several men in the distance were working with equipment, busy restoring electricity to the school.

He then looked back at her and nudged her shoulder.

"Good thing we've got a source of light to brighten up the world."

They kept walking towards the cafeteria for breakfast, and after a moment, Odd eyed her with a smile.

"...And I don't just mean the sun."

She looked away in a slight blush, and paused as Odd opened the cafeteria door, motioning for her to go first.

* * *

They sat together at their usual table, but it was just the two of them.

Odd, having finished his breakfast quickly, sat with his arms on the back of the chair, and casually surveyed the rest of the room.

"Quiet morning."

He eyed Aelita as she leaned against him for a moment.

"The world's just waiting for you to shake up everything."

Odd reached his arm around her, and then touched his cheek to hers for a moment.

"Probably."

Their hearts stirred, and the blonde eventually drew his face away.

Hopefully nobody around noticed them together like that...

"...Ready to go swim?"

Aelita nodded, and Odd stood from his seat, and helped her up out of hers.

She followed behind him out of the cafeteria, but after getting into the open, she quickly returned to his side.

After several steps, he peeked at her, taking note of the light blue towel on her arm.

"...No Pink?"

She shook her head.

"I had to draw a line somewhere."

His eyebrow rose, and she huffed.

"...Blue is just as good!"

Odd chuckled.

"I never said it wasn't."

Aelita looked at her towel, and swimsuit, and then back at Odd.

"...Should I do more blue?"

"If you want to."

Aelita then eyed his attire, and blinked at him.

"...What about you?"

"I'm just fine with purple." He grinned.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I thought I was just fine with pink too."

Odd paused, and squeezed her up against himself in a hug with his arm.

"There's nothing wrong with experimentation."

She rested her head onto his shoulder for a moment, and then resumed walking towards the pool.

"I know."


	9. Chapter 9

They neared the entrance to the recreational building housing the pool, and not even realizing it, they both reached for the door handle.

Aelita's hand grasped it first, and she pulled it open, smiling as she then grabbed his idle hand and pulled him inside.

The door banged shut behind, and she turned around, watching the blonde with a smile as she cautiously walked backwards, leading him along the hallway.

After a moment, he drew to a halt, pulling her up in front of himself as he turned and leaned against the wall behind. She watched with curiosity, and then a slight blush as they met face to face, and then leaned close, her arm and towel being a cushion between them.

Quiet breaths danced back and forth, and two best friends cautiously nurtured a tender moment.

Several seconds of eye-play later, Odd casually looked down the hallway, watching then as Aelita pushed herself off of him.

They continued onward towards the changing rooms, and just before parting to go inside, he squeezed her hand.

"I'll meet you out on the bleachers."

She nodded, and their hands parted as both of them walked into separate changing rooms.

* * *

Aelita stared at the tiled floor as she sat on a bench in the changing room.

_Last night, my best friend told me he loved me. And then he kissed me._

_Lips I never pictured against my own. And now I'm on a date._

_Odd's been my friend for years... I know he likes me, but... I didn't know he respected Jeremy and I so much. Never saying a thing, fearing interference..._

She sighed._  
_

_He waited all this time, and now,_ _here I am, suddenly falling victim of Della Robbia's charm..._

Her eyes rose up to the showers nearby.

_Odd and Aelita, sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S..._

She blushed.

_I feel like I'm about to stir up the school beehive by going on a date with Odd Della Robbia._

_Maybe that's exactly his intention.  
_

_...Or maybe I'm just overwhelmed because one of the most notorious boys here at school, a fellow Lyoko Warrior, and one my best friends, poured his heart out to me and kissed me to prove his feelings._

_I think I'm going bananas._


	10. Chapter 10

The familiar smell of chlorine filled the air as Odd stepped into the enormous open room housing the academy's large swimming pool.

He peered upward at the Ceiling, admiring the large panes of glass that displayed the blue sky above, and then walked his way over to the bleachers some distance away.

Sitting himself down, he watched as the water rippled and shimmered with reflections, and then propped his arm on his knee, holding his head up with his hand.

A minute later, his eyes fell upon Aelita as she gingerly stepped out into the open area, eying the pool for a moment, and then waving to him after finding the familiar spike of blonde hair in the distance.

He watched her lazily as she walked over towards him, lifting his head off his arm as she sat next to him in an excited huff.

Looking at the blonde, and then at the water, and then back at him, she exhaled.

"What's it like?"

He shrugged with a smile.

"I dunno. Let's find out."

He rose to his feet, and after setting her towel down, Aelita stepped up beside him, and they both walked alongside the edge towards the deep end.

When the water started getting darker, Odd momentarily dipped his foot in.

"...Sorta warm."

Seeing how easily he could fall in, a cheeky smile slowly grew on Aelita's face.

"If it's warm, then you should get in."

Blinking from her statement, he looked at her, and his eyebrow rose from her adorably mischievous smile.

"...Here, I'll help you!"

"Wha- Hey!"

Her hands pushed against his side, and he found himself losing balance, but acting quickly, he snatched her arm and her eyes widened when she realized she was going in too.

Both of them yelped as they fell into the water in a huge splash, and after a moment, their senses were awakened from the mildly warm water.

* * *

Odd's eyes flicked open to Aelita suspended just above himself, and he breathed out through his nose, linked his arm with hers as he rose to the surface.

He watched as she poked her head up above the water, and she quickly burst into a fit of giggles after catching her breath.

She brushed aside wet hair from her face, and seeing his expression, a grin spread across her face.

"You knew you were going in sooner or later!"

"Yes... Not quite like that though!"

He swam a little ways past her, causing her to turn and follow him, watching as he turned onto his back.

"Catch me if you can!"

She burst into motion, and within moments, the blonde smiled as she caught up to him with ease, and then poked his side.

"Got you."

He shook his head, slowly paddling backwards as she swam alongside.

"I wasn't trying hard."

"Clearly."

He watched her, and she laughed from his raised eyebrow.

* * *

Halfway across, the blonde turned back over, and noticing Aelita's uneasiness at being in the middle, he moved himself over in front of her, and exhaled when she wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Nothing to be afraid of, Princess."

"I'm not scared."

He smiled smugly.

"Then plug your nose and hold on tight."

Her eyebrows shot upward, and she quickly squeezed her nose as Odd took in a breath and dove down underwater, Aelita still holding onto him.

* * *

The blonde worked hard, even with Aelita paddling her feet too, as they went lower and lower into the deep end of the pool.

Her eyes peeked open some ways down, and her feet faltered when she realized how deep they were.

She clung onto him tightly, and watched with disbelief as Odd reached his arm out and touched the bottom, twenty feet down.

Bubbles rose upward from exhaled breath, and the blonde moved upright, touching his foot to the bottom and then pushing them both upward, paddling like mad back towards the surface to continue their ascent until they burst through the surface seconds later, gasping for air.

Still brimming with determination, Odd furiously swam his way over to the edge of the pool, and upon reaching it, grasped a firm hold, and rested his tired arms and legs.

He smiled as Aelita released her arms from around him, and held onto the edge as he turned over onto his back again, floating beside her.

"Did you think we were gonna go all the way down?"

Aelita exhaled.

"No."

She looked at him when he closed his eyes in a smile.

"...Wasn't easy. Especially having you along for the ride."

"I helped!"

"I know." His eye peeked open to her with a curious smile. "...Couldn't have done it without you."

Aelita blushed, delighted, and Odd shut his eye again.

Her eyes then wandered from his face, down to his chest, which she discovered was rather toned.

_Della Robbia, You fit young man..._

Her heart stirred for a moment, and she reached down underwater, and got a hold of his hand.

Seeing him smile, she nudged over closer to him, and lazily closed her eyes, hoping nobody could see their hands together.


	11. Chapter 11

Aelita's eyes opened when she felt herself get tugged away from the edge she was against.

Odd towed her out a little ways, and then turned around and got a hold of her other hand.

"...Wanna try something?"

Her eyebrow raised slightly.

"Here..." He released her hand and plugged his nose. "Do this."

She did the same, and then watched as he relaxed his legs, and started to sink.

She reluctantly floated down under the water with him, and a little ways down, she watched as the blonde surrounded her in a tight hug.

She smiled at the blonde's excited expression, but was caught by surprise as he kissed her - _Underwater_.

They both turned bright red very quickly, and lips that barely met drew apart within seconds as they rose to the surface.

Seeing her shoot him a very curious look, he shrugged bashfully, and she looked away, blushing again.

_...And now I've kissed underwater._

* * *

"Hey, Odd!"

The blonde looked towards the voice that called him, and watched as a familiar brunette swam towards them both.

He drew to a halt a few feet in front of them, and Odd had a real bad feeling about the humored look on his face as the brunette's waves washed up against him.

"Am I seeing things, or am I just dreaming still."

"...You tell me." Odd eyed him apprehensively.

Ulrich's smile faded.

"I just saw you two underwater. Kissing."

The color in Aelita's face vanished quickly.

"...And?" Odd questioned.

The brunette wanted to scoff, but held his silence.

"...Since _when_ did this start happening?"

Odd moved closer to him.

"I don't think you've been paying attention very well."

"...Says you." Ulrich retorted.

Odd glared at his best friend.

"That's besides the point, Ulrich."

The brunette looked at Aelita, and his eyebrow rose when she tried to look away.

"...Then enlighten me, Odd."

"Alright, Ulrich. Have you ever seen what happens to someone that gets repeatedly ignored?"

"Nope."

"They fall apart, slowly but surely. Hiding the hurt inside and disguising it with smiles and hope."

Ulrich exhaled.

"What's your point, Odd."

"My point is... Aelita is one of my best friends, and I care about her a lot. She's been in a rut lately, and I'm tired of being in the shadows when she needs help. I want to be the one that supports her through everything from now on."

Odd's face softened.

"She deserves support, Ulrich. Maybe I'm not an expert with relationships, but at least I know how to cheer someone up when they need it."

Ulrich shut his eyes for a moment.

"Do you two have _any_ idea what kind of a mess this is going to make?"

"...No." Odd sighed.

_How did I know you were going to say that..._

They both turned and watched as Aelita covered her eyes with her hand.

"I love her. She's more than just my friend... But I didn't say so until recently."

The brunette shook his head, and took a deep breath.

"Somehow, I'm going to be caught in the middle of this... Like usual."

He turned around, and after swimming a short distance away, looked back at Odd.

"I hope you know what you're getting into."

He disappeared underwater, and swam away towards the shallow end of the pool.

* * *

Odd quickly returned to Aelita's side, hugging her for a moment.

"Odd..." She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"...Can we get out of the water?"

"Sure we can, Princess."

He swam to the wall, pulled himself out, and turned around, helping her up with his outstretched arm until she was on her feet.

They walked side by side around the perimeter of the deep end, staying quiet until they reached the bleachers.

Odd then picked up both of their towels.

"Up there." He nodded towards the back row, all the way at the top.

* * *

Aelita sat next to Odd, but a few seconds later, she scooted closer, and leaned against him.

"I'm sorry... This didn't turn out like I wanted it to." He whispered, wrapping her towel around her as she shut her eyes.

She held onto it, and concealed herself inside, discovering just how cold she actually was.

Odd surrounded himself in his own towel, but then, seeing her shivering slightly, he smiled.

"Here..."

He moved over behind her, and hugged her snugly, resting his head upon her shoulder gently as his towel kept him warm, and his hug kept her warm.

"Aelita..."

She turned her head slightly.

"Ulrich isn't mad at us, he's... Surprised."

"I know."

"He might be a grouch, but he's still our friend."

"Yeah."

He hugged her even tighter, and touched her cheek with his nose.

She blushed lightly, and reclined back against him, which caused him to recline against the wall behind. After a few moments, she grasped both of his hands, and Odd smiled, squeezing them in response.


	12. Chapter 12

Ulrich approached Yumi as she casually floated in the shallow end of the pool, grateful to see she was alone for once.

"Yumi."

"Hey." She smiled at the brunette as he drifted over next to her through the water.

"Hi... Umm..."

She raised her eyebrow as he drifted off.

"Have you ever noticed any... _Difficulty_ between Aelita and Jeremy?"

She paused.

"Yeah... Haven't you?"

Ulrich blinked.

"No... Maybe I don't notice these things."

"Well..." Yumi touched her finger to her chin. "Every now and then Aelita has talked to me... She tends to bring up things that confuse and frustrate her."

"...Anybody in particular?"

"Jeremy."

"...Not Odd?" Ulrich raised an eyebrow.

"Him too."

She then furrowed her eyebrows at Ulrich.

"Why are you asking me all this?"

He sighed.

"...Did you have any idea Odd and Aelita are in love?"

.

Her eyebrows nearly rose off her face.

"...They _are?_"

"Yeah. Aelita apparently has had enough of Jeremy, and Odd's somehow swept her into his arms... They just started dating from the looks of it."

Yumi eyed Ulrich.

"I know Odd's always been there for her... But I did not see this coming."

He turned around and looked for them momentarily, having no idea they were both high up on the bleachers.

"I bet you can guess who has no idea of this..."

"Jeremy."

Ulrich turned around, and met Yumi eye to eye.

"...You sure Aelita never told you anything about this?"

She sighed.

"Not directly... Her feelings were always mixed up whenever she'd ask for my opinion."

"Well she clearly decided Odd was who she really wanted."

Yumi narrowed her eyes at him.

"Aelita is allowed to choose who she wants to be with, you know."

"Sure she is, But... _Odd?_"

"Like I said, he's always been there for her... She sees him differently than we do."

They both stood silently.

"...Why don't you go talk to her, Ulrich. You'd probably get a better understanding if you heard what she has to say."

"Yeah... Probably."

He looked back, and both of their eyes fell upon Odd and Aelita, just as they separated back into the changing rooms.

"...But I'd leave them be for now."


	13. Chapter 13

Odd pushed open the door out of the building, and watched quietly as Aelita walked past.

He came up to her side, and sighed.

"...I'm sorry that kinda... Failed."

She looked at his face, and his disappointed expression pained her.

"It's alright..." She grasped his hands. "...It's not the only thing we can do today."

"I didn't plan anything beyond the pool."

Her eyes wandered to the ground.

"Why don't we just go somewhere to eat?"

He mulled over the idea.

"It is getting on Lunchtime, isn't it."

Aelita smiled, and curled his hands inside hers.

"We'll make this day better."

* * *

**Later, In a Cafe...**

* * *

Aelita blinked when a tray of ten Croissants, five of which were covered with chocolate, was set down in front of them both in the booth.

She looked at Odd, surprised and delighted.

"Lunch?"

He grinned.

"Yep."

Her expression quickly changed into a smug smile as she plucked one of the chocolate ones off the platter, and took a bite out of it.

Odd himself took a plain one, and became quite amused as she took a bigger bite.

"...What you ought to do, is save the best ones for last."

Aelita swallowed, and eyed him.

"Then you'd better hurry up before they're all gone."

Odd propped his head on his arm, and couldn't help to grin.

"I see how it is."

"Good."

She fluttered her eyebrows at him, and took a second chocolate one, as well as a plain one.

Briefly without words, he then made sure she noticed as he drug two of the remaining three chocolate ones onto his plate, and slid the plate away from her a little ways. He then took another bite out of the plain one he was working on, and after swallowing, he saw her shaking her head at him slowly.

"That won't help you."

His eyebrow raised, and defiantly, he picked one up and took a huge bite out of it.

Still grinning, he held it out to her.

"Still want it?"

"Yup."

She stole it right out of his hand, and he blinked as she started eating it.

"Wha..."

He reached over and grabbed one of hers, but she got a hold of it as well, and they ended up tearing it in half.

Both of them paused, but Aelita quickly snatched the last one on the platter, and Odd set his half on top of the other three on his plate.

"_There_. We're even."

They peeped at each others plates, but their eyes wandered upwards, and eventually found each other.

Hearts fluttered as they slowly resumed eating, and blushes arose as the prior competitiveness faded away among the low ambiance around them.

_This, is the kind of date I originally expected..._


	14. Chapter 14

Odd tossed a napkin forward onto the table, and seeing three croissants were still left, he leaned back in a sigh.

"Next time, make sure I don't order ten."

Aelita shrugged, turning her fork with her fingers.

"Leftovers."

She peeped at the blonde, and her eyebrow slowly rose when he cautiously slid the fork right out of her fingers.

His face blossomed into a grin when she leaned against him.

"Up to no good I see." She whispered.

"Always."

He brushed his index finger underneath her chin, and she blushed slightly.

"You are, after all, Della Robbia..."

She snatched his hand and looked at him, but his confident, amused smile stole her breath right from her lungs.

"I am."

Odd pushed his fingers between hers, curious if he could make her eyes get any wider then they already were.

"And you..."

Her breath hesitated as he paused.

"...Are Princess Aelita."

He leaned over just a little bit, and held his head near hers.

"Not just anybody's princess though..."

She turned a little bit redder.

"Yours...?"

"Mine."

Face to face, maybe an inch apart, Aelita's face quickly grew red, and her free hand grasped and squeezed his.

A blush arose on his face as he touched her nose with his own, watching as her green eyes waited. Watching him with utmost curiosity.

.

He touched his lips to hers, for a second.

_Not enough._

Aelita leaned in and caught him in a second kiss, this time, a few seconds longer.

.

Their eyes opened, but then, their hands slipped apart as they embraced the other in a tight hug.

"Odd..."

He touched his forehead up against hers.

"Yes?"

"...You like to kiss."

"I... Yeah. I do."

Silence hung for a moment.

"...Do _you?_"

"Yes, silly."

Her blush returned.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't let you kiss me like you do."

He smiled.

"Alright. As long as you're comfortable with it, Princess."

Her breath paused.

"I am."

He pressed his lips against hers a third time, and a low groan escaped her lungs as it slowly transformed into a longer, more passionate kiss.

_Too Good._

Odd's hand moved its way up to the back of her neck as they kissed. _Now to try something a little different..._

Aelita's eyes opened for a second when she discovered he was touching his tongue to her lips, and noticing she faltered, he paused, and pulled away.

He eyed her curiously, and her slight confusion confirmed his suspicion.

"...You've never french kissed, have you?"

She shook her head, embarrassed.

"Okay... Just open your mouth a little bit while you kiss me, and touch my tongue with yours."

Her eyebrow rose, and he smiled.

"Its weird at first... But you might like it."

He pressed his lips against hers, and they engaged in a sweet kiss for a few moments.

Then, her tongue cautiously stuck out, and upon meeting the blonde's, she exhaled with laughter from the strange sensation, only to grow silent as she found herself contesting for possession of their lips as well.

A minute of sloppy lip and tongue kissing, and the pair briefly paused as Odd pulled his lower lip from between hers.

"What do you think?"

She blushed.

"...Can I try again?"

"You bet."

Another touch of lips, and within seconds, they kicked right back into gear, resuming a newly-discovered, heart-stirring activity inside the quaint little cafe, somewhere on a street of Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris...


	15. Chapter 15

Odd pushed open the door of the cafe to the outside, letting Aelita step out first.

He stepped over next to her, and once the door shut, she eyed him, and regained a slight blush.

"Thank You."

He beamed.

"You're quite welcome."

He then looked down the sidewalk a ways, and then back at her.

"Back to the campus?"

"...And a shower."

She rested her hand softly upon his when he held it out to her, and turned a little bit redder when he folded her fingers inside his hand, turning quietly and walking down the sidewalk, their hands swaying together slowly between each other.

* * *

Odd studied each gap between the blocks of concrete that made up the sidewalk.

His eyes peeked at Aelita for a moment, but retreated downward again.

_Not even a day, and I've taught her how to make out..._

_Was this supposed to happen so fast?_

His eyes fell upon hers when she turned her head towards him.

_She did seem to enjoy it though._

Aelita's smile faded from his confused expression

"Something wrong?

Odd blinked.

"Not at all..."

He eyed her when she pushed her fingers between his, and then squeezed his hand.

"Just thinking."

"About me?"

His face blossomed into a smile.

"Maybe."

* * *

They both neared the entrance to the Academy, and after passing through the gate, their hands drew apart reluctantly.

_Maybe one day, we won't have to hide this._

After a few minutes of walking amongst the campus buildings, they approached the dormitories, and just before the door, Odd surveyed the grounds for a moment.

"...Still quiet, and empty."

Aelita tugged open the door, and her smile quickly returned.

"You still haven't shaken things up yet."

"Maybe."

* * *

Aelita leaned against the side of the shower stall as warm water rained endlessly upon her.

_I must be going bananas. This feels so easy. Too easy. How was it so easy to find myself dating and kissing my best friend?_

_He's supposed to be my cousin... I wonder what people will think when they start finding out we're dating?_

_And Jeremy..._

Her eyes sank.

_Jeremy. We haven't been on a date for so long... What am I supposed to tell him? We've done nothing together for ages. I hope he doesn't think we're still together._

_He probably does. I guess I did too, until last night._

Her cheeks burned.

_How do I tell Jeremy that Odd loves me? He's going to find out sooner or later. Knowing him he's going to be upset right away._

Jeremy did bring me from Lyoko, and he's done so much... But so has everyone else. There's more to fighting Xana than being in front of the supercomputer, and all of my best friends have risked themselves to save me...

_But then there's Odd._

_Out of anybody, he's tried the hardest. And then here on earth, he still tries his hardest. For me._

_And now I know why..._

_Maybe that's why this feels so easy._

_Maybe its supposed to be easy._

* * *

Odd sat on his bed as he pulled the sleeves of his purple outer-shirt towards himself.

Looking over Ulrich's bed on the opposite side of the room, the brunette's words from earlier floated around in his mind.

_By now... Yumi probably knows too._

The blonde touched his hand to the side of his face.

_Everybody's gonna think this is ridiculous, and a select few will want to tear me to shreds. But I'll show them. Aelita isn't some ordinary girl. She needs as much support as she can get, and I'll be the one lifting her up._

_She deserves it._

* * *

Aelita poked her head out of the bathroom door.

_Not a soul in the hallway..._

With a towel wrapped tightly around her body, she tiptoed out of the bathroom, scared that she might get caught by somebody.

_Thank goodness my room isn't far... A few more steps, and -_

She grasped the door handle, but froze, hearing footsteps.

Her hand refused to turn the door handle, and she looked to see who was approaching.

"Odd?"

The blonde looked up, and his eyebrows shot upwards, seeing Aelita wearing just a towel.

"Uhh..."

She quickly turned red in embarrassment, and Odd was rather surprised to see just how daring she was.

Their eyes simultaneously looked towards the stairwell behind when they heard another set of footsteps.

"Uh oh."

He motioned for her to get inside her room, and she opened and ducked around the door.

Shutting the door quickly behind her, he leaned against the wall next to it, just seconds before Jim Morales strolled into the hallway.

"Della Robbia! What are you doing here in the Girl's hallway?"

"Waiting for Aelita, sir."

"When you're done waiting, you'd better hightail it out of here, understand?"

"Yes sir."

Jim huffed, and continued on his way down the hall, and Odd quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

The blonde watched her door open in the corner of his eye, and then looked at her when she cautiously peeked out.

Seeing him, her face lit up, and she surrounded him in a tight hug.

"Happy to see me?" He whispered.

"Yeah... That was a little close."

"You're telling me. Imagine if he came upstairs ten seconds earlier."  
"Detention."

"For both of us."

"A fate worse than death." She mumbled.

The blonde grinned.

"Pretty much."


	16. Chapter 16

The pair walked together, finding their way out of the dormitories building to the grounds outside.

Just outside of the entrance, they paused, and the blonde eyed her.

"Where to?"

She looked over to the grove of trees skirting the school, and her arm rose, finger pointing into the distance.

"There."

* * *

They meandered deep into the trees, far away from any straying eyes.

Both of their hands fumbled for each other, and upon grasping the others, they stopped walking.

Odd smiled in response to her curious expression as he got a hold of her other hand, and collected her into a quiet hug.

She nuzzled his neck, but then sighed.

"Odd."

"Yeah?"

"I'm worried... Really worried."

The blonde took a silent, deep breath, and eyed her.

"Here."

He led her over to a large tree, and then reclined against it.

"Sit with me."

Aelita settled herself in front of him, and Odd moved his legs outward as she leaned back against him.

Surrounding her securely with his arms, he rested his chin on her shoulder, and she blushed slightly.

"I'm worried about whats going to happen tomorrow."

"So am I, Princess."

Aelita then shook her head slightly.

"Actually... I'm scared. The more I think about it, the worse it seems to become. Tomorrow is just going to end terribly, and everybody will get mad at each other."

She exhaled sadly.

"The last thing I want is for my friends to be upset because we've started dating... And I know its going to happen anyway. I feel like people won't let me make my own decisions, and they'll all see us as something wrong. I mean, we're fake cousins... Its like, by default, I shouldn't be with you because everybody else says so."

"Aelita... I'm afraid you're exactly right. But that's why you show them that they can't control you. Make your own moves, and let everyone else deal with the rest."

"Sounds like cause and effect."

"It is. I practically live by it."

She shut her eyes.

"Why do people think they can control who can and can't be together?"

"Because they don't like being surprised."

She opened an eye.

"Their control is just an illusion."

"The sad part is, you could say that to anybody, and they'll deny it."

Aelita turned her head to the side, and relaxed, closing her eye again.

"Odd..."

He turned his head sightly, touching his nose against her cheek amongst the pause.

"I wish I talked to you more often like this in the past. You're just so worldly... And wise in your own way."

"People take life and its issues too seriously... I'm not saying I don't care, but I don't let it step all over me."

A sigh escaped her lungs.

"Its hard not to take Lyoko seriously."

"And Xana. I meant, besides that. Not everybody deals with what we do every week. We're forced to take saving the world seriously."

The chirping of birds filled the brief silence afterward.

"Odd, I'm going to be honest."

"Good."

"I know I spent ten years of my life on Lyoko, and both of my parents disappeared because of it... But I'm tired of it. I'm tired of stopping Xana's attacks, only for him to start another one a couple days later, and I'm tired of fighting for humanity, and being unable to tell them for their own good."

Her eyes sank.

"I know it brought us all together as friends, but I just hope it isn't the only thing that's keeping everyone together... Then everything would be a lie."

The blonde exhaled deeply.

"I think we'll all still be friends in the end, Aelita. It wouldn't be easy to just leave behind the people that saved your life, and forget all the times you nearly died with them."

"Yeah."

"And as for us... We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes."

He squeezed her tighter in his arms, and she shut her eyes, sliding her boots off afterward and pushing them aside with her feet, letting nature fill her senses as she reclined against the blonde in silence.

His sneakers slid off his feet, and a brief giggle escaped her as their socks batted each other, only to settle together on the grass as a breeze swirled through the branches above, whispering among the rustling leaves and warbles of birds.


	17. Chapter 17

Ulrich looked over at Yumi when she walked towards him.

"Did you talk to Aelita?"

"No."

Her eyebrow rose, and he pushed himself off the wall.

"Those two disappeared somewhere... I have no idea where they went."

Yumi touched her hand to her chin, but Ulrich then furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"About Aelita..."

"Hmm?"

"How often would she talk to you about Odd?"

Yumi leaned against the wall next to her.

"Every now and then... I knew she liked him, cause they always seem to get along pretty well. She never said anything about dating him, but I don't think she ever thought she would."

Ulrich huffed.

"Not with Jeremy around."

"I think she and Jeremy have been declining for a while now, but neither of them wanted to say so."

"I wonder if she was afraid to end it."

"Probably. Knowing how angry he can get... He'll probably be reluctant to let her go."

"I think I would be too, after doing so much for her."

"We've all done a lot for Aelita."

"Jeremy brought her out of Lyoko."

"And Odd's kept her alive countless times. What's your point, Ulrich?"

"I guess its hard for me to get why she's suddenly dating Della Robbia."

"Odd has a big heart and has always cheered her up one way or another... Don't you think she deserves his support whenever she needs it?"

"I guess, but, those two together, it's just..."

He looked over, and in the distance, saw both Odd and Aelita walking together across the courtyard.

"...Weird."

* * *

Aelita watched as Odd's tray became piled high with an extra helping of dinner.

_Nothing new, of course._

The blonde peeped at her, and she lifted her tray off the shelf, and they both walked over to their usual spot in the cafeteria.

Their trays met the table in a clatter, and after being seated, Odd quickly began eating, leaving Aelita to her own slower pace.

After several moments, humored with his alarmingly fast consumption, Aelita prodded his arm with her finger.

He paused, and watched as she plucked the fork from his hand.

"See, Odd, eating like _this_..."

She daintily speared a cut of meat from his platter, and then stuck it in her mouth, chewing it slowly.

"...Will keep one from choking to death."

The blonde eyed his fork helplessly, and Aelita smiled as he snaked his hand under her arm and stole hers.

"...And eating, will keep one from being hungry. To death."

Odd stuck his fork into two chunks of meat on her plate, and grinned from her reluctant expression as he stole them away, into his own mouth.

She resumed eating herself, both of them using the others fork, and not really caring.

"You are so lucky we're in public."

"I know." He grinned.

Moments later, his back grew cold when he heard his name called by a familiar voice.

Aelita watched, unable to lift a finger, as Ulrich sat down across from them both, but then felt a little more relieved as Yumi sat down next to him.

The four of them remained quiet, waiting for somebody to speak first.

"I, _Uh_..." Aelita spoke timidly.

She lost any remaining words with three pairs of eyes looking at her.

Odd then shifted his eyes over to Yumi, and under the table, he tucked Aelita's foot behind his own.

"I'm guessing that..."

He gestured at them both.

"...Yes." Yumi spoke up, and then glanced at Aelita, giving her a very faint smile for a moment.

Ulrich eyed the pink-haired girl, and then the blonde, who was watching him intently.

"...Look, despite what happened earlier, I hope you two realize that I'm not an enemy in all this."

The brunette's eyes shifted back to Aelita.

"I will admit that... Well, it took me by surprise. Especially since nobody bothered to tell me."

Yumi looked away for a moment.

"I guess I probably could have said something..."

"That would have been nice."

She glared at him, and then took a momentary breath.

"...The point is, No matter what's going on with you two, just know that we're still your friends, and we're on your side."

Ulrich started digging into his food lazily, and Yumi cracked open the can of cherry soda on her tray.

"...And, try to tell us when things are happening, so we can help if need be."

After Yumi spoke, Ulrich looked up at pink-haired girl once more.

"Just so you know, Aelita, You're allowed to talk to me too."

She paused as all three pairs of eyes looked at her again, and she then looked sheepishly at Odd, watching with some relief as his face grew into a gentle smile.

* * *

The four of them stayed quiet for several minutes as they continued into their dinners.

"You know, as soon as people start finding out about this... The cousin thing is going to be brought to light pretty quickly."

Aelita propped her head up on her arm.

"I really wish people would forget about that."

Odd stopped eating, and shook his head.

"How anybody even believed that in the first place..."

Yumi set down her fork quietly.

"If it gets questioned, tell them that you're not blood-related."

Aelita blinked.

"Blood-related?"

"Distant cousins, basically. You aren't from the same family tree anyway, so it wouldn't be hard to prove it if you had to."

She looked at Yumi, rather confused, but Odd was impressed.

"Why didn't we tell anybody that beforehand?"

"Because we didn't need to. Unlike now."

The blonde rolled his eyes.

"...More like, nobody thought of it then."

Yumi shrugged, and Odd focused on his food again, discovering unhappily that it was starting to get cold.

* * *

After a little while, Aelita cautiously peeked at Odd.

"...Wouldn't we still be cousins? How is it any different either way?"

He looked at her, and swallowed.

"Sometimes, close friends, like mothers, will kinda be considered family... Their children might grow up together like cousins, but they're not related through the same family."

Her eyes lowered to the table, but then rose back up to him.

"But, those cousins wouldn't be distant if they grew up in the same home, right?"

Odd couldn't help to chuckle.

"Distant cousins are barely related, only because their family trees sorta came together somewhere way back when."

Still perplexed, Aelita sighed.

"So... We're pretending to be cousins, and since we're not blood related, then you and I... It shouldn't seem weird?"

"Yup."

She looked at the blonde unhappily.

"...Then why do we have to put on a facade and lie to everybody?"

Odd touched his finger under her chin, and she blushed slightly.

"Sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction... Nobody would believe us if we told them how you really came here."

She breathed a sigh through her nose, but smiled when he leaned over and hugged her tightly.

"Right now, its best that we keep up the cousin thing... As backwards as it seems, its for the good of everybody here at Kadic."

Aelita quietly nodded, and as soon as his arms released her, she leaned against him, her head resting faithfully on his shoulder.

"If you say so..."


	18. Chapter 18

Yumi anxiously eyed the now-dark window to the outside.

"Alright, guys, I'm not trying to vacate, but I've gotta find my way home..."

Ulrich looked at her as she stood up.

"How soon?"

"Now."

She pushed in the chair, and Ulrich blinked.

"Later."

She looked back as she walked towards the door, and waved at the three of them before stepping outside.

The brunette eyed Odd, and the blonde shrugged as Aelita yawned next to him.

He then stood from his chair as well, taking her hand, and helping to her feet.

"I'd say its about time we find our way back to our rooms."

Ulrich, still seated, watched as they walked towards the door, and disappeared outside without further ado.

For a few moments, he sat silently, lost for words.

The empty table quickly became unbearable, and he shot up out of his seat.

Setting his tray aside near the door, he found his way outside, and casually walked to the dormitories as the school grounds grew darker.

* * *

Ulrich walked down the hallway, and seeing the door to his room slightly ajar, he approached it cautiously, and peeked inside.

_Dark. And not a Della Robbia to be found._

The brunette rolled his eyes, and pushed the door open as he stepped inside.

"Where in the world did he go this time..."


	19. Chapter 19

Odd kept his eyes on the floor as two other girls walked past Aelita's closed door, but he then looked at the door when he heard the handle twist.

It slowly opened, and a smile appeared on his face as she peeked around the corner of the frame at him. She then reached over and tugged him inside with his arm, and shut the door quickly behind.

A few steps further into her room, Odd was then surrounded in a hug from Aelita.

He twisted her slowly back and forth, and a sigh seeped out of her lungs

The blonde took a deep breath, and pushed his hand up into her thick pink hair, hugging her tightly with his other arm.

"...What's wrong, Princess."

"Everything." She whispered.

"_Everything?_"

"Yes."

Odd looked over at her bed, and then nudged her with his arm.

"Let's sit down."

He walked over with her, and they both descended on her bed.

Odd then touched his hand to her chin.

"Tell me what's wrong with everything."

"It's... I..."

She faltered.

"_Tomorrow._"

His hand sank to the bed, and she shut her eyes.

"I know."

"What am I supposed to tell him?"

The blonde eyed her as she opened her eyes again, and he held his hand out to her.

"Tell him how you really feel... Just be honest, and don't let him tear you down. You know how he works, and what he'll say."

She looked at his hand, and then at him.

"What about you?"

"I'll tell him he's had his shot, and I think you deserve better. You two haven't done anything for almost a year... If he did that to anybody else, they'd instantly be done and gone."

She sighed sadly.

"I can already tell this isn't going to end well."

"Aelita, no matter what happens tomorrow, you know you talk to Ulrich and Yumi too. Don't forget about them."

"I know... Its just hard to be confident when you know everything's about to go wrong."

He surrounded her in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"You'll be fine... People have to face the truth, and it sucks when you're the person that has to tell them."

She sighed, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Odd... This might sound strange but... Don't leave me tonight."

His head moved back from her shoulder.

"What... Do you have any idea how much trouble we could get into, if I get caught up here?"

After a moment of consideration, she simply nodded.

"Well... What's making you want me to stay in here all of a sudden?"

"Earlier, when we were in the woods... And we both napped against that tree... That was wonderful."

"You want to snuggle with me again... Is that it?"

"Yeah... And my bed will be a comfier place for both of us."

Odd exhaled quietly, and then brushed a lock of her hair aside.

"Alright... I'll stay right here with you."

A tired smile spread across her lips, and she wrapped her arms back around him, holding him tight.

"...Hopefully nobody will open your door."

"I'll just tell them to go away."

He shook his head, and she smiled.

"I just want your company tonight."

"You've got it, Princess."


	20. Chapter 20

Odd glanced at the alarm clock sitting upon her computer desk, staring at the glowing, digital numbers for a moment.

His eyes then found their way back to Aelita's when she softly touched the back of her fingers against his face.

"What time is it...?"

"Ten Thirty-Four."

She groaned, and turned her face into her pillow.

Odd drug another lock of hair from her eye with his finger, and she smiled as he ran his thumb across her eyebrow.

The blonde looked at her messy sheets underneath both of them, and then pushed himself up for a moment, watching patiently as she pushed them back with her feet. He then grasped and pulled the sheets back up over both of them, settling back down next to her and waiting as she adjusted herself for comfort.

Aelita eyed him as she fished around under the sheets for his hand, and upon finding it, she grasped it securely, and discovered that his other hand had already found its way to hers.

Their fingers pushed between each other, and after a breif giggle, she touched her lips to his in a sweet, short kiss.

"Princess Aelita."

"Prince Odd."

He watched as she eyed him patiently, and sleepily grinned.

"Do you love me so?"

She studied his face, and her heart beat a little harder.

"I think... I do love you so."

Her eyes closed as she rested her head sideways on her pillow again.

"...But I'm not completely sure."

Odd settled his head gently on the front of her shoulder, and rubbed his thumb slowly across hers.

He smiled when she squeezed his hand, and after a moment, closed his eyes.

"Let me know, when you know for sure."

"I will."


	21. Chapter 21

Odd lazily opened an eye and moved his leg slightly, causing Aelita to look at him curiously.

Her face changed into a smile, seeing his disheveled hair, and crooked morning smile.

"Hello."

"Hellloooo." She whispered, and attempted to sit up, forcing Odd to push himself up off her.

He leaned against the wall next to her bed, and blinked at the closed door to her room.

"Now for the tricky part..."

Aelita furrowed her eyebrows as she escaped her bedsheets, and leaned against the wall next to him.

"...If you were actually awake, all we'd have to say is that you came in here early... Or something."

Odd looked at her, and shrugged when she leaned her head against his.

"You're the one that wanted me in here."

Aelita pushed his head over slightly with her own.

"And I'm happy you did stay with me."

Odd looked at her through the corner of his eye.

"We both just broke a major school rule, you know."

"Mmhmm."

The blonde turned his head slightly.

"You let me get in bed with you already."

"I wanted some comfort... Is that a bad thing?"

"No..."

They both looked at the door, hearing voices outside of it, and Odd exhaled.

"I should probably find Ulrich before he finds me in here."

He got to his feet, and Aelita quickly appeared by his side as he fumbled over to her door.

Setting his hand upon the handle, he paused when she pushed her hand down on top of his.

"Me first." She whispered.

Odd blinked, and retracted his hand.

"Ladies first." He then mumbled, watching as she pulled open the door, and peeped outside.

The typical morning line leading from the girl's bathroom was already in full swing.

Odd poked his head out next to hers, and his eyebrows rose from the scene in the hallway.

"Is this normal?"

Aelita rolled her eyes.

"Yes."

They casually walked out of her room, and nearing the stairwell, they paused.

Odd held out his hands, and she was quick to grasp them.

"Be careful today." The blonde whispered.

She squeezed his hands tightly, and looked into his eyes sadly.

"I'll try..."

He nodded, and their hands slowly slipped apart as he turned and walked towards the stairwell.

He glanced back at her and traded an expression, and she turned away, finding her way into the line to the restrooms.

After a moment, she watched as some of the other girls around her exchanged some interesting looks, hoping nobody noticed Odd's magical appearance from her room...


	22. Chapter 22

Odd screeched to a halt at the door of his room, and tip-toed up to it.

He pushed it open, and poked his head through, but there was not an Ulrich to be found. Not even in his bed.

He then jumped when he heard a confused grunt behind him.

Pulling his head back out of the doorway, he turned, and discovered that Ulrich was standing in the hallway, staring at him.

The brunette's arm raised, and he pointed at Odd.

"YOU."

Odd's face instantly turned into a grin.

"Me?"

"Where the hell were you last night."

"Somewhere."

Ulrich narrowed his eyes.

"Is '_somewhere_' Aelita's room?"

Odd blinked, and then raised and pointed his own finger at him.

"It was her idea!"

The brunette moved his finger closer at Odd, but was without words for a moment.

"..._Her_ idea?"

Odd nodded.

"Ask her. I'm not kidding."

Ulrich's hand returned to his side, and he furrowed his eyebrows at his friend.

"I thought _you_ were the rule breaker around here."

"You're telling me." Odd drawled.

Ulrich walked over and pushed the door open, and Odd followed him inside, safe inside his normal room once again...


	23. Chapter 23

Aelita looked at the sunny sky beyond her room window, and sighed as she pulled on her boot.

Scared, was an understatement.

Getting to her feet, she plucked her phone from her bed, and slipped it inside the pocket of her hoodie as she walked to the door.

Stepping out into the hallway, she shut the door behind herself, and started walking towards the stairwell.

She passed Sissi, who was leaning against the wall with two other girls, but slowed down her walk when she heard her name mentioned in a whisper.

* * *

"...What about her." Sissi drawled, amused.

"She was holding hands with Odd Della Robbia... Right after stepping out of her room."

Aelita's face grew pale very quickly.

"_...What. _Della Robbia?!"

Sissi's eyebrows shot upwards, and she looked down the hallway for the pink-haired girl, but she was already gone.

Her attention turned back to the girls she was with, but she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Miss Einstein's spending quality time with Odd, huh?"

"You should have seen them."

Sissi blinked, and furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm not sure if I should believe you."

"Go and find out for yourself then."

Sissi pushed herself off the wall, and huffed.

"Apparently I should!"


	24. Chapter 24

Aelita ground to a halt at Odd and Ulrich's room after running furiously down the stairs.

She peeked through the doorway, and pushed it open curiously.

"Odd?"

She stepped inside, and her heart sank.

_Empty._

Hearing footsteps in the hallway, she quickly hid behind the opened door, and waited for whoever was out in the hallway to pass.

Cautiously peeking out afterward, she was glad she hid, seeing Sissi strolling down the hallway in a huff.

She sat down on Ulrich's bed, and looked over at Odd's, which surprisingly wasn't a disheveled mess.

"Where are you..." She whispered, mournfully.

Getting back to her feet, she moved around the door, and pulled it partially closed as she exited the room.

She drug her feet as she walked down the hallway, staring at the floor, and hoping not to encounter Sissi again.

She neared the corner in the hallway, and breathed a quiet sigh.

Suddenly, footsteps.

.

"...Aelita?"

She looked up, and her feet stopped dead.

"J-Jeremy?" She gasped.

The blonde blinked at her terrified expression, and she tried to back away, but only mustered one step.

"Hey, Uhh... Is something wrong?"

Aelita watched dreadfully as he walked over to her, and reached down, grasping a hold of her hand.

To her own horror, she jerked it out of his grasp, and watched as his face contorted into a frown.

She looked at the corner fearfully, and broke into a run, away from him, around the corner, and after a few moments, out of the dormitory building entirely.

After getting his wits back together, Jeremy ran down the hallway after her, intent on finding out just what was going on around here...


	25. Chapter 25

Aelita burst through the doors out into the open sunshine, but kept on running. Tears streamed down her face as she sprinted across the courtyard, trying to find anywhere to hide.

Diverting into the grove of trees nearby, she ran out of steam, and tumbled down onto the grass below.

Rolling over, she buried her face in her arms, crying miserably under the shade of the trees above.

She didn't care that her arm was bruised - She simply hoped nobody had seen her run like this.

* * *

Odd casually walked away from the vending machine he was at, and looked at the sky for a moment.

"Hey, Odd."

His attention went to the voice, which turned out to be Jeremy, who was walking towards him.

"Do you know what happened to Aelita?"

Odd felt his back grow cold for a moment.

"...What do you mean?"

"_Odd Della Robbia!_"

Both of the blondes looked over as Sissi stormed towards them.

"I want to have a _word_ with you!"

Odd's eyes widened, and he looked behind himself.

"No... You don't."

"Yes I - _Come back here!_"

Sissi broke into a run and pursued Odd as he turned and ran away from the scene, as fast as his legs could take him.

Jeremy stood there, flabbergasted as they both disappeared.

* * *

Yumi smiled as Ulrich appeared around the corner of one of the campus buildings, and walked up next to her.

"Morning."

"Good Morning." She chimed.

They both looked over as Odd ran up to them and screeched to a halt, panting.

"_Help me_."

He blinked, and turned around, watching warily as Sissi approached the three of them.

Ulrich watched bemusedly as she stormed up in front of Odd, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Tell me, Della Robbia, since _WHEN_ are you and Aelita going out together?"

Ulrich lost his smile, and Yumi quickly glared at Sissi.

"Since... Recently." Odd squeaked.

"How recently?" She snapped.

"...A few days ago."

She stared the blonde down for a moment, and let go of his shirt.

"So I wasn't being lied to."

"Hey, Sissi..."

She looked at Ulrich, and her eyebrow slowly rose.

"Leave Odd be, okay? This isn't the first time he's done something that's... Awkward."

She eyed the brunette, and after narrowing her eyes at Odd again, she backed off.

"I think you should be more worried about Aelita, knowing Odd's ways..."

She turned around, and walked away indignantly, and Odd was quietly fuming.

Then, Jeremy approached the three of them, and Yumi put her hand over her mouth.

He eyed all three of his friends as he slowed to a stop in front of them.

"...Does anybody know where Aelita is? She ran away as soon as I found her this morning."

* * *

Sissi, overhearing his query, blinked, and turned around.

* * *

"Did something happen to her while I was gone?"

Yumi looked away, and Odd, wide eyed, began fearing for Aelita.

Ulrich noticed Sissi walking back towards them, and scowled silently.

Jeremy raised his hands.

"Hellooo... Does anybody know where Aelita is?"

"I bet Odd does!"

The four of them watched as Sissi walked daintily back over to them, and Odd stared at the ground hopelessly as four pairs of eyes fell upon him.

"After all, you were with her this morning, weren't you?"

Odd squirmed.

"I... Don't know where she is now."

Yumi gave Sissi a death stare, and she glared right back at her.

"Well, did you make her mad already?"

Odd looked at Sissi furiously, but Jeremy shook his head.

"She ran from me, not..."

He then looked at Odd.

"Wait... You were with her this morning?"

He clenched his mouth shut, and Ulrich stepped forward.

"Yeah, he was."

"...Doing what?"

Sissi snickered as Jeremy corrected his glasses, but Yumi had enough, and confronted her.

"_YOU_, have no business in this, Sissi. Do us a favor, and stay out of it."

Sissi propped her hands on her sides, but didn't budge.

"Did I not get a memo or something?" Jeremy shook his head.

"He doesn't know? Oh dear." Sissi spoke, pretending to be surprised.

Yumi was about to strangle her, but restrained herself.

"_LEAVE_." She growled.

"...I don't know what?" Jeremy drawled.

Odd tried to avoid his eyes, and looked beyond, noticing a few other students were gathering at a distance at the spectacle.

His eyes then fell upon her.

_Aelita._

She was walking along, looking sadly at the ground below.

His eyes widened, which drew the attention of the others around him to where he was looking.

"There she is... _Aelita!_" Jeremy turned and shouted to her.

She slowly looked up, and froze.

_Everybody's looking at me._

"Aelita... Why did you run from me earlier?"

Odd stared at Jeremy as he approached the girl.

He halted in front of her, and she stepped to the side, which Jeremy countered with his own step.

"...Are you afraid of me or something?"

She looked around him, at her friends, and at Odd, warily.

Jeremy looked back, directly at Odd, and then at Aelita.

"Will you just tell me what's wrong?"

She stepped to the side again, and tried to go past him, but her arm was grabbed - Just where the bruise was, causing her to yelp in pain.

Aelita tugged her arm forcefully from his hand, and Odd instantly broke into a run at both of them, and both Ulrich and Yumi were quick to pursue him.

Jeremy watched as Odd screeched to a halt next to him, and suddenly grabbed his shirt, shoving him backwards, and nearly off-balance.

"What was THAT for?" Odd yelled at him, but Jeremy returned the angry look, and shoved Odd in return.

"I didn't even grab her arm that hard!"

"Oh yeah? Then why did she scream like that?"

"I don't know!" Jeremy yelled back at him, and Odd shook him with his shirt.

"Let GO of me!"

"I want to know why you just hurt Aelita!" Odd snarled.

"I'd like to know what you were doing with her this morning!"

Odd's eyes narrowed.

"I was spending time with her, which as far as I know, you haven't been doing for a bit too long now!"

Jeremy looked at Aelita for a moment, but his eyes returned to Odd rapidly.

"...That's a lie!" He protested, but Odd shook him again.

"_Is it?_"

Aelita finally burst into tears, and buried her face into her hands miserably.

"That's not the only lie..."

Yumi's face changed color, and she prodded Sissi with her finger angrily.

"If you don't leave _RIGHT NOW_..."

"Odd... J-Just t-tell him..." Aelita whimpered.

.

All eyes fell upon both the blonde boys, and it became eerily silent.

Odd stared at Jeremy defiantly, and then breathed a final sigh.

"Aelita and I are dating, okay? I stood aside for months on end as you two did nothing, and as far as I've seen, heard, and been told... She's all done being pushed away."

He stared at Odd, mouth agape.

"You..."

He then looked at Aelita, and her eyes widened with fear from his betrayed expression.

"Its over, Jeremy. Aelita's over you, and now I'm picking up the pieces. You spent years with her, and you pretty much blew it."

Aelita got to her feet, and started backing away, terrified by Jeremy's expression of both despair, and disgust.

"And now that I've said that, I'm going to be honest."

His eyes fell back upon Odd, and his fists slowly clenched.

"It feels good to lift her up, after you let her down."

.

Suddenly, Jeremy shoved himself into Odd, and knocked him to the ground.

"I should have _known_ you'd do this!"

He blindly threw a punch into Odd face, stunning him for a second, but Odd quickly grabbed a hold of him and shoved him upwards, thrusting a fist into his shoulder, and pushing him off as he scrambled to his feet.

Aelita watched helplessly as Jeremy charged into him again, and both of them exchanged several punches, until Jeremy scored a hit into Odd's chest.

Odd stepped back, recoiling from the loss of breath, but was quick to block another throw, and grabbed Jeremy by the wrist, and twisted it.

Jeremy yelped angrily, and tried to free himself by smacking Odd with his free hand, but was suddenly grabbed and jerked away by Yumi.

Ulrich quickly jumped between both of them and shoved Odd away, but none of them had seen Aelita run far, far away.

"Had enough?"

Jeremy struggled, but Yumi easily kept him under control, and watched as he pointed a finger angrily at Odd.

"You stole her from me."

Odd shook his head.

"She _LEFT_ you."

Jeremy stared down at the ground.

"And, what, she thinks _YOU_ are better?"

"...Yes." Yumi spoke up.

He shut his eyes.

"...Apparently she needs to be straightened out."

Odd stomped forward, but Ulrich was quick to keep him at bay.

"If you lay a single _FINGER_ on her, you will regret it."

Jeremy glared at him.

"Listen to you."

Odd brushed off the remark, and had just about enough of arguing with him.

"You've already caused her enough pain as it is."

He turned around, and after glancing at the huddles of other students, took one final look at Jeremy.

"...And you've run out of time to fix whatever relationship you had left."

Odd stormed away, quite mad, and disappeared around one of the campus buildings, heading for the entrance.

* * *

Yumi released Jeremy once Odd was out of sight, and the crowd gathered nearby slowly began to dissipate.

He touched his hand to his face, and mulled over everything that had just happened.

Ulrich eyed Sissi as she retreated away, but then looked at the blonde when he sighed.

"You both knew, didn't you."

.

Yumi shot a glance at Ulrich, but they both maintained their silence, which confirmed Jeremy's suspicion.

"I leave... And come back to this?"

"Jeremy..." Ulrich exhaled.

He looked at his brunette friend, who paused for a moment.

"...Even I'm going to say it - Were you really paying attention to Aelita?"

"Yes." He drawled, frustrated.

"You sure?"

Jeremy looked over the rim of his glasses at him.

"Why?"

"She's had a thing for Odd... Longer than any of us really realized."

The blonde pressed his hand into his forehead, but Yumi stepped up next to him.

"Lets get something to eat, and then we can talk about this."

He reluctantly nodded, and walked beside Ulrich and Yumi towards the cafeteria.

For the time being, the two of them were now his only friends...


	26. Chapter 26

Several hours slowly passed, and evening descended upon the city of Paris.

.

Odd sat on a bench, and watching silently as clouds drifted across the sky above.

He looked at the time on his phone, and stood up, figuring that he'd might as well return to school pretty soon.

Then, it hit him.

_Where in the world is Aelita?_

He turned and started walking towards the campus, and dialed her number on his phone.

"Pick up..." He whispered, after listening to it ring for a few seconds.

(Aelita) "...Hello?"

He paused upon hearing her feeble voice.

(Odd) "It's me."

(Aelita) "Odd?"

(Odd) "Where are you?"

(Aelita) "...I don't really know."

He quickly became worried.

(Odd) "Are you in the forest?"

(Aelita) "...Yes."

(Odd) "Aelita... are you alright?"

(Aelita) "Sort of... Well... No."

(Odd) "What happened?"

(Aelita) "I'm tired. Hurt... Shaking."

(Odd) "It's been hours since I last saw you... What have you done since you vanished?"

(Aelita) "...I've been hiding here."

(Odd) "All day?"

(Aelita) "...Yes."

Odd quickly sped up into a run.

(Odd) "Stay right where you are... I'm coming."

.

He ended the call, and stuck the phone into his pocket, and broke into a full-on sprint towards the academy gate.

* * *

Odd ambled through the trees, looking around for anything pink as he went.

He pulled out his phone, and quickly called her again.

.

(Aelita) "...Hey."

(Odd) "I'm not going to hang up until I find you."

(Aelita) "...Do I have to keep talking?"

(Odd) "No... But say something every now and then."

Odd looked around, and listened as she grew silent.

(Aelita) "...Something."

He smiled.

(Odd) "Perfect."

* * *

Minutes ticked past, and Odd grew more and more concerned as the light from the sun started to disappear, and the trees slowly grew darker.

(Odd) "How far in here did you go?"

(Aelita) "...Pretty far."

He swallowed, and walked around a tree, continuing on for a short distance.

(Aelita) "...Odd."

(Odd) "Yeah?"

(Aelita) "...Odd!"

(Odd) "What!"

(Aelita) "...I can see you."

(Odd) "Which direction?"

(Aelita) "...About face."

Odd turned around, and after a little bit of searching...

"Aelita!"

He ran over and knelt next to the pink haired girl, who was laying on the ground curled up.

She pushed herself up, and Odd quickly pulled her into his arms.

"I'm here."

She nuzzled his neck, and Odd gently rested her on the ground again.

He looked her over, and she lifted her arm up.

"This."

Odd inspected her arm, and seeing the bruise, he blinked.

"How bad does it hurt?"

"...Not too much."

Odd then looked into her tired eyes, and put an arm around her back as she attempted to sit up.

"You've been here... The whole day?"

She looked at Odd sadly, and nodded.

He then sighed.

"Did you eat Anything?"

"No."

Odd got a gentle hold of her hand, and paused.

"...That's why you're shaking. You're probably starving."

He put both of his arms underneath hers, and lifted her up to her feet.

"We're gonna go get food."

"Not the cafeteria..." She moaned, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Definitely not." Odd breathed in a deep breath of air.

"Here..." He turned around, and backed up against her. "...Put your arms over my shoulders, and your knees above my arms."

Aelita blinked tiredly, but did just as he said, and Odd exhaled quickly as she jumped up onto him.

"...Okay. Let's get going."

He stood, and started walking forward, and Aelita smiled in slight disbelief as he carried her upon his back, trudging through the forest grove.

* * *

Odd breathed a sigh of relief as he found his way into the open, and discovered streetlamps lining a familiar road.

It was already growing quite dark out.

"Dismount..." Odd grunted.

Aelita slid down his backside, and her feet rediscovered the ground below.

They also rediscovered how tired she was.

Odd took her hand, and eyed her with a curious smile.

"Can you walk with me?"

"...Maybe."

Odd then snaked his arm around her back, and hugged her against his side as they started walking down the sidewalk.

* * *

The street was unusually quiet, devoid of cars.

After several minutes of walking, Odd drew to a slow halt, and Aelita looked at him curiously.

"I have a feeling we've been here already..."

She blinked, slowly becoming more fatigued, but seeing the smile appearing on his face, she peeked just past him, into the windows they were next to.

The inside looked _too_ familiar.

"...The Cafe!"

"Yup."

Aelita surrounded him in a weak hug, and he grinned, and led her inside.

* * *

Odd watched as she drooped her head down onto the table, and pushed her arms up under it.

"We're not getting croissants again."

"_Good_."

He reached over, and pulled her back into a hug, and she set her head onto his shoulder.

"...Then what are we getting?"

Odd pressed a kiss into her cheek.

"Nothing much... Chocolate muffins and Hot Cocoa."

"Mmm."

* * *

The aroma of chocolate was too good.

Odd watched patiently as she looked at the tray set in front of them, and sat back in the booth next to him.

"...Those are big muffins."

"You bet."

Odd plucked one of the two massive muffins off the tray, and took a huge bite out of it, watching with delight as Aelita did the same.

Her face grew into a satisfied grin, and Odd chuckled with a mouthful of muffin.

He swallowed, and set the muffin down, taking a sip of Hot Cocoa, and motioning for Aelita, who was already into her third bite of hers, to do the same.

...Minutes later, her cup was empty, and she was working away on her muffin, almost as fast as Odd was.

She peeked over at Odd's unfinished mug of cocoa, and then nudged him.

"Can I have some of yours...?"

"Of course." He smiled, and handed it over to her.

She slurped down all of it, and then peered inside the mug.

"Aww."

Odd raised his eyebrow, and then got to his feet.

"I'll be right back..."

* * *

"Ta Daa!"

He reappeared at the table, and Aelita lifted her head from her arm, and eyed the new, steaming mug of cocoa, which sported a straw sticking out of it.

Aelita took another bite of what little was left of her muffin, and leaned against Odd as he scooted up next to her in the booth again.

"You first."

She got a hold of the straw, and sucked a good portion out, and then let Odd have the rest.

After he finished, he leaned back against the booth for a moment, and then looked at Aelita as she smiled at him dreamily.

"Odd..."

His eyebrow raised.

"Yes?"

"Thank yoouuu..."

He shrugged with a smile.

"Figured something like this would make today end a little bit better."

She leaned up close, and a grin appeared as she turned his head with her two fingers.

"...And, you're welcome, Princess."

* * *

Back outside into the night, the street was still dark and quiet, except for the buzz of streetlights illuminating the sidewalk, and the low chirping of crickets.

Aelita peered upward at the moon, and slowly stopped walking, causing Odd to halt by her side.

She then glanced across the road, and then back at him, with a worried look on her face.

"Everything I was afraid of a day ago... Happened today."

She turned, and they continued walking, nearing the academy gate.

"Jeremy hates both you and me now, Ulrich and Yumi are stuck in this, and now the school population knows about all this."

She then eyed him as they walked through the gate

"...I can't believe you and Jeremy got into a fight over me."

Odd grunted.

"If I wanted to, I would have taken him down a lot quicker... But I kinda deserved to be a punching bag for a bit."

Aelita frowned.

"Even if he wants to, don't fight him again."

"I won't... Don't you worry."

She eyed him, concerned, and surrounded him in a momentary hug, to which he returned.

They then resumed their walking, quietly re-entering the school grounds.

* * *

Nearing the courtyard by the cafeteria, Odd halted Aelita as the cafeteria door opened, and their other three friends filed out and clustered back into a smaller group.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Odd backed into the cover of the trees nearby with her, and they crouched low, keeping out of sight.

"...What do you think? Of course they're gone, hiding somewhere where we can't find them."

"You'd do the same, Jeremy, except that we could find you in one of two places."

"Very funny, Ulrich."

They watched as Sissi and her two followers stepped out of the cafeteria, and were promptly glared at as they passed by, with not a word uttered from anybody.

.

A quiet minute passed, and Ulrich checked his phone, causing Odd to do the same.

"Eight twenty two."

The brunette then looked at Yumi.

"Do you have to go?"

"Soon... But I have a little bit of time."

They both eyed Jeremy, who was looking down at the ground.

"What about you, Einstein?"

His eyes rose up to Ulrich.

"I'm going to my room for the night."

"Should we hang out for a li-."

"_No_." Jeremy said flatly, and turned and walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Ulrich eyed Yumi.

"Nice."

"You were the one to ask." She retorted.

Ulrich sighed, disappointed.

"He's gonna be sulking for weeks."

Yumi then narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Then be a good friend and help him out."

"How? If he's just gonna shrug me off, I won't be helping him out for very long."

"Then try harder if that's what would stop you."

Ulrich then huffed.

"I told you that we would somehow get involved in this."

"...And I don't mind being involved, especially for Aelita's sake."

Yumi eyed Ulrich, and watched as he blinked tiredly.

"...You sure you don't have any idea where Aelita is?"

"I haven't seen her since this morning." She said quietly.

Ulrich looked up at the night sky for a moment.

"I bet she's with Odd by now... Haven't seen him either."

Yumi looked at Ulrich, concerned.

"I hope you're right..."

The brunette then stepped closer to her.

"Wanna walk home?"

"Yeah." Yumi nodded, surprised slightly by his invitation.

Ulrich smiled, and they both turned and walked towards the gate, unknowingly passing not too far from Odd and Aelita.

After they slowly vanished from sight, Odd eyed Aelita, watching for a moment as she stared tiredly at the ground.

"Hey..." Odd whispered.

She looked up at him mournfully.

"...All of our friends are sad now."

Odd sighed, and set his hand upon hers, which was down in the grass below.

"They're just wondering where we are."

He then lifted her hand from the ground, and held it in his palm.

"...Right now, its good that everybody is separated from each other."

She squeezed her hand around his palm.

"Why...?"

Odd paused as her weary eyes found his.

"Everybody's feelings are a bit too much to handle right now."

Aelita sighed sadly, and Odd tugged her arm a little bit.

"Sit with me."

She fumbled over in front of him, and sat herself between his legs, reclining against him as he leaned back against a tree.

His arms found their way around her waist, and she brought her legs up together, settling against him sleepily.

* * *

A few minutes of dozing passed by, and Aelita's eyes opened once more.

"...We have classes tomorrow."

His eyebrow rose.

"I know."

He then squeezed her with his arms.

"Are you ready for them?"

"...Not Really."

Odd smiled, and rested his chin upon her head of pink hair for a moment.

"I'll be with you as much as I can tomorrow."

She quietly moaned, but a small smile formed on her face as she shut her eyes again.

Odd moved his hand to her collarbone as she rested her head sideways on his chest, and stayed as still as he could to avoid disturbing her.

* * *

_Bloop._

Aelita's eyes flicked open after a single big, wet raindrop splashed onto her face.

Odd looked up with her as the the dark leaves of the trees above began to patter from more raindrops, and she pushed herself up with her bruised arm.

She looked back at Odd, who was still watching the trees above.

"...Rain?"

Odd looked down, and seeing her disappointment, sighed.

"Yeah."

She slumped forward, setting her head onto her knees, and groaned.

"Aw..." Odd leaned forward and surrounded her in a great big hug.

"...Can we go inside now." She whispered, shivering when a cold breeze floated through the campus grounds.

"We sure can."

He nuzzled her neck, and putting his arms under hers, lifted her slowly to her feet as he stood.

They stepped out of the cover of the grove of trees, and walked quietly through the school grounds as raindrops fell, finding their way to the dormitories, and after a brief pause at the door, inside.

* * *

Odd eyed her as she paused in front of the stairs, and eventually looked at him.

"...Can I get another piggyback ride?"

He briefly studied the stairs, and then peeped at her.

"Once we're at the top... Yes."

Her shoulders sunk when she looked at the stairs again, but Odd quickly offered his hand to her.

She grasped a firm hold, and sluggishly stepped up the stairs with him, her feet complaining with each further step.

Once at the top, Odd opened the hallway door, and Aelita was quick to cling to his backside.

"Alright..."

He knelt down again, and she moved her legs above his arms, and her arms around his chest.

With a huff of breath, Odd lifted her off her feet, and after staggering back for a second, began to walk forward carefully with her on his back.

He tromped down the hallway, and Aelita, tired, but still awake, hung her head on his shoulder, grateful she didn't have to walk any further.

Rounding the corner, she stayed stone silent as they passed Jeremy's door, and approached the next flight of stairs.

Odd paused in front of the steps, but Aelita smiled.

"You can do it..."

He took another breath, and proceeded up the stairs, reaching the top, and staggering into the girl's hallway, and up to her door.

Aelita reached out, twisted the door handle, and daintily pushed it open, and Odd stepped inside her dark room, and stopped next to her bed.

She released her arms, and flopped backwards onto the sheets, and Odd let her legs drop to the floor, and sat next to her on the bed.

She looked up at him, and a smile appeared on both of their faces.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Odd beamed, but then got back to his feet, and Aelita was quick to sit up.

"Wait..."

He sighed.

"I can't stay up here with you again."

She got to her feet, and stood in front of him.

"...You know I can't."

Aelita looked down for a moment, but nodded, and grasped a hold of both of his hands.

"...But tomorrow, I'll be with you as much as I can."

She gazed tiredly into his eyes, and he ran his thumbs over her knuckles.

"...You, Princess, desperately need some shut-eye."

She nodded again, but quickly turned red in a blush when he locked her into a soft kiss.

Her eyes drew back open, and she watched as he stepped back, and slipped out of her hands.

"Good night..."

"...Night." She mumbled.

The door closed with a quiet click from the latch, and she sat back and pulled her boots off, taking a moment to look at the window as the occasional raindrop splattered against the panes of glass.

Fumbling around with her clothing, she then flounced onto her bed, happy to be back into her oversized T-shirt.

_Today had too much drama._

She slipped underneath the sheets, and got quite comfortable, burying her face into her pillows.

_And not enough sleep..._

* * *

Odd pushed his door open, and was surprised to see the light on inside.

"Odd?" Ulrich looked up at him from his bed.

The blonde's eyes fell upon the book in his hands.

"...A book?"

Ulrich blinked, and set it down on his lap.

"I can't sleep."

Odd shut the door and sat himself on his own bed, and was greeted by Kiwi.

"You're telling me."

Ulrich sat up.

"You first."

Odd sighed, and started petting his little dog.

"After the whole argument, Aelita disappeared, right?"

Ulrich blinked.

"Yeah?"

"I found her in the woods around six-ish."

"Oh, good."

"She hadn't eaten for the whole day."

Ulrich's mouth opened.

"...Really?"

"No breakfast, no lunch."

"Jeez."

"I took her somewhere to eat... Wasn't exactly a real dinner, but better than nothing."

Ulrich stared at Odd.

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah... A little rough, but she's safe in bed now."

"Good man."

Odd smiled, and after rubbing Kiwi's ears, eyed Ulrich.

"Your turn."

"Okay... Me and Yumi have been talking to Jeremy a lot today, but so far he's... Being Jeremy still."

Odd blinked, but let him continue.

"I've been by Yumi's side all day today, and haven't seen William at all."

Odd started to smile.

"...But, less than an hour ago, she let me walk her back to her place, and it started raining, right?"

"Yeah...?" Odd's smile grew even bigger.

"Dude... We were at the gate to her place."

"...No." Odd's eyebrows rose.

"I had her hand... Was giving her the look, and she was returning it..."

"Come onnn..." Odd put his hand on his forehead, still smiling.

"...If she wasn't so worried about Aelita, I think I could have kissed her."

Odd drug his hand down his face, and slumped back against the wall.

"I was _SO_ close, it wasn't funny." Ulrich huffed.

Odd then looked at him.

"Why is it, that I've already kissed Aelita on our first date, and you..."

Ulrich shrugged.

"Aelita isn't like Yumi..."

Odd flopped down onto his bed, and Kiwi crawled onto his stomach, wagging his tail.

"Aelita isn't like any girl I've ever known."

He turned his head, and Ulrich put his hand to his chin.

"...Odd."

"Yeah?"

"You'd know best... What is Aelita like?"

Odd's eyebrows rose.

"What do you mean?"

Ulrich propped his head up on his arm.

"You know... What is she_ like?"_

Odd's eyes shifted to Kiwi as the little dog yawned.

"I mean... I know its weird coming from me and all..."

Odd breathed a sigh, trying to think of how to explain her.

"She's... _Insatiable_."

"...How so?"

"I... kinda taught her how to make out already..."

Ulrich shook his head.

"You guys have barely been going out."

Odd shrugged.

"Its not our fault if we move quicker than everybody else."

Ulrich reclined back onto his pillow on his bed.

"You'd better not screw all this up, Odd."

The blonde took in a deep breath.

"Like I said, Aelita isn't like any other girl."

Odd's eyes wandered up to the ceiling as Ulrich got off his bed, and shut off the light.

"...Especially since she saves the world on a regular basis."


	27. Chapter 27

Monday Morning.

* * *

Aelita poked her head out from underneath the sheets, and eyed her alarm clock.

_Still a few more minutes..._

She slipped back underneath, and shut her eyes, but then, her phone buzzed.

She reached her arm out, grabbed a hold of it, and drew it back inside, delighted to find a text from Odd.

Maybe, just maybe, a Monday would turn out better than the weekend...

* * *

Odd watched, brushing his teeth, as Ulrich stared at himself in the mirror, towel slung over his shoulder.

"Either I'm doing something wrong, or Yumi is too scared and doesn't want to make the first move."

The brunette looked over at Odd, who's teeth brushing drew to a pause.

.

"Right?"

Odd shrugged, and pulled the brush out of his mouth slowly.

Ulrich then huffed as he washed his face.

"It's just weird... She's not the only girl that likes me besides Sissi... You'd think she'd want to."

Odd raised an eyebrow, and Ulrich, noticing this, leaned against the bathroom counter.

"You know Emily?"

.

"..._LeDuc_?" Odd drawled.

"Yeah... Sometimes, I dunno, I wonder about her."

Odd became quite amused.

"I thought you almost kissed Yumi last night..."

"I did... But..."

Ulrich furrowed his eyebrows at his blonde friend.

"...Now I'm starting to sound like you."

Odd smiled.

"Didn't you kinda, _almost_ date Emily way back when?"

"...And both Yumi and Sissi were about to kill both me and her." Ulrich sighed.

Odd checked his phone after it buzzed, typing a reply to Aelita's text message in short order.

"Ulrich... If you're wondering about Emily, go and find out what she's about."

The brunette blinked.

"But then Yumi..."

Odd held up his hand.

"Yumi, as you've told me, isn't being so hot about a full blown relationship, right?"

"What are you suggesting...?" Ulrich sniffed, watching as Odd walked towards the shower stalls.

"I'm saying... If you want to try again with Emily, go ahead and do it. She's not going anywhere soon."

Ulrich crossed his arms, and looked at himself in the mirror again.

Odd did have a point, but it seemed awful risky.

* * *

Aelita stepped out of the bathroom, and walked down the hallway with her school bag.

Her presence kept the other girls awkwardly quiet, but she was too tired from the night before to care.

She made her way into the lower hall, and passed through it with hardly a sound, eventually finding her way to the entrance.

Stepping outside into the sun, she smiled as a lazy breeze floated through the campus and ruffled her hair slightly, and wandered out to the courtyard.

Her phone started buzzing again, but this time, it was a call.

(Aelita) "Heellloooo?"

(Odd) "Hey Princess."

Aelita's face lit up.

(Aelita) "Odd..."

(Odd) "Where are you?"

(Aelita) "I just came outside... By the bench."

She leaned against the backside of it just after saying that.

(Odd) "Which bench...?"

She giggled.

(Aelita) "The one I'm against, silly."

(Odd) "Alright... Give me a minute or two."

(Aelita) "Okay..."

She eyed her phone as he ended the call, and slipped it inside the pocket of her hoodie, taking in a deep breath of the cool air.

* * *

After a few moments of leaves rustling, she fished around for her phone again, but paused when the bench she was leaning against creaked, and moved slightly.

Turning her head, she discovered a certain Della Robbia was sitting on it, looking at her with an unmistakeable grin.

"...Morning."

Aelita turned around, and set her arms on the top rail of the bench, propping herself up.

She fluttered her eyebrows at him lazily, and he got to his feet, and stepped around the side of the bench, joining her in the same pose she was in.

After a few quiet seconds, she moved her arm over his, and their hands joined together.

"...Still tired?"

She sighed, and nodded, but Odd then stood upright, and tugged her slowly up close to himself.

"Take it easy today, and stick with me."

She shut her eyes, and Odd collected her in a gentle hug.

"You'll be fine."

"..._Aelita!_"

She looked up to both Ulrich and Yumi as they walked over, and Odd peeped over his shoulder, still keeping Aelita in his arms.

"Are you alright?" Yumi asked, relieved to see her female friend again since she had disappeared, only a day before.

"I'm fine... I think."

Yumi looked at Odd cautiously, but the blonde's smile quickly dissipated her concern.

Ulrich sat down on the bench, and brought his foot up, resting his arms on his knees.

"...Yumi and I have been talking to Jeremy a lot since both of you... Vanished yesterday."

"Yeah?"

Ulrich stared at Odd, who had his eyebrow cocked.

"You should be glad that we did."

Yumi leaned against the bench, crossing her arms.

"After you both ran off, he was pretty mad."

Aelita blinked. _Ran off...?_

"...He's still sulking terribly, but at least..."

Yumi then stopped speaking, noticing Aelita was staring her down.

"...Ran off?" She questioned.

Odd released her from his arms, and watched as she quickly became unhappy.

"...Maybe you should step into my shoes, and see just how horrible yesterday was from my point of view!"

Yumi was taken aback.

"You both ran away... I was there when it happened."

Aelita's mouth hung open, but Ulrich quickly got to his feet.

"Apparently you're forgetting that Jeremy and Odd got into a fistfight in front of her..."

Yumi glared at Ulrich.

"Cause I totally forgot I had to pull Jeremy away from Odd..."

"Then I wouldn't be saying that Odd and Aelita ran away."

"...Then how would you define it, Ulrich."

The brunette boy stared at Yumi, but Odd stepped up next to Aelita.

"...Leaving the scene, when your presence is no longer needed."

"Oh, so departing, and shirking off responsibility for your actions, isn't running away?"

Odd raised his eyebrow.

"It was your decision to babysit Jeremy. He could have just as well been left on his own."

Yumi's mouth opened.

"You still left. Both you and Aelita abandoned everybody."

Odd's lifted his hands up.

"What, was I supposed to stand around and watch Aelita cry as everybody yelled at each other?"

"You could have done something better than disappearing. Both of you."

Despite being her only female friend, Aelita had heard about enough from Yumi.

"I think you really need to understand the gravity of what Odd and I are dealing with."

Both girls eyed each other sternly.

"Do I?"

Aelita shut her eyes, and Odd stepped over in front of her defensively, just as the school bell started ringing.

"Yeah. You do."

He took Aelita's hand, and led the girl away across the courtyard, leaving Ulrich and Yumi by themselves at the bench.

* * *

Aelita sighed sadly as she walked alongside Odd towards their first class.

"Yumi too..."

Odd squeezed her hand, and her eyes rose up to his face.

"Don't worry about her."

"...Why?"

"She doesn't really understand what's going on."

Aelita breathed a deep, hard breath, and filed in behind Odd into the classroom, still keeping a hold of his hand.

Her eyes fell upon Jeremy, sitting up front, and she halted for a moment, causing Odd to stop and turn around.

"...It's alright." He whispered, and they both filed into a pair of seats, some distance away from him.

Aelita tried to stay out of sight behind Odd, and watched as Ulrich walked in, surveyed the classroom, and eventually sat next to Jeremy.

"Morning."

Jeremy looked at Ulrich, and briefly, Odd, before returning his attention to the chalkboard up front.

Ulrich lost his focus up front, and turned in his seat slightly.

"Hey, _Odd_."

The blonde casually looked over, keeping a straight face as both Ulrich and Jeremy looked at him.

"Just as a warning, Yumi is pretty unhappy right now."

Jeremy's eyebrow rose ever-so-slightly, and Odd scowled.

"Was that supposed to be a surprise?"

"No... But you both ruffled her tailfeathers pretty good."

Aelita quietly scoffed, and Odd furrowed his eyebrows.

"..._THAT_ got her mad?"

"She doesn't like being cornered."

"She doesn't like seeing other people's perspectives, either." Odd muttered.

Ulrich then narrowed his eyes, and Jeremy was becoming quite interested.

"I could probably say the same about you, Odd."

The blonde blinked.

"...And now you're sticking up for Yumi all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, I am."

Odd propped his head on his arm, glaring at his friend.

"I know of a great word to describe you."

"Oh yeah?"

"_Hypocrite_."

The teacher cleared his throat, and the three boys separated their glares from each other as he started to speak to the whole class.

Aelita rested her head against Odd's shoulder, and moaned mournfully.

He reached his arm around her backside, and breathed a quiet sigh.

Class had only just begun...


	28. Chapter 28

Aelita's head rested sideways on the desk, and Odd was caressing her cheek with his finger as first period wore on.

Finally, a few minutes later, the bell rung, and Aelita lifted her head up as Odd stood from his seat, heeding no attention to Ulrich and Jeremy as they left the classroom without much ado.

"Come on, Princess..."

She took his hand, and after being helped up, quickly found her way into a desperately needed hug.

She nuzzled his neck, and Odd rubbed her back for a few seconds.

"...Why is this happening..." She whispered.

Odd looked over at the doorway to the hall, and closed his eyes.

"I don't know... But its starting to get ridiculous."

* * *

Jeremy glanced at Ulrich as the two of them walked to their next class.

"Why did Odd call you a hypocrite?"

Ulrich huffed.

"It's nothing, really."

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"...Then what happened just before class?"

Ulrich stopped, and eyed the floor for a moment.

"Aelita and Yumi got into an argument... Odd stepped up to defend her, and I kinda tried to be the middle man, but now everybody's in a bad mood."

Jeremy touched his hand to his chin, somewhat surprised.

"Those two never argue."

"I know."

Ulrich sighed, and put his hands in his pockets.

He then eyed Jeremy.

"...Aelita's been having it really rough lately, just so you know."

Jeremy repositioned the laptop bag's strap on his shoulder, and they both continued walking to their next class.

Stepping inside, sure enough, both Odd and Aelita were sitting towards the front.

The two boys sat down at the same table, a few rows back, and Jeremy pulled out a notebook and a binder.

His eyes couldn't help to wander up to Aelita, who had her head resting on her arm.

She looked to the left, and it was easy to see how tired she was, just from her eyes.

"...Ulrich."

The brunette looked over at Jeremy.

"Yeah?"

"...She's kind of a mess, isn't she."

"You have no idea, Einstein."

He watched as Odd set his arm on the back of her neck, and was quick to divert his eyes down to his notes.

* * *

"_Aelita!_"

The girl quickly brought her head up, startled by the teacher.

"Since you feel obligated to sleep, I should assume you already know what year Archduke Franz Ferdinand died, and how it happened."

Aelita stared at Mr. Chardin, drawing blank after blank in her mind.

After a few moments of silence, he huffed.

"Uh... Jeremy! Surely you know the answer..."

.

For the first time in his life, the blonde was reluctant to say so.

"Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian Nationalists... In 1914."

.

"Excellent, Belpois... Paying attention, is key."

Mr. Chardin turned around, and continued the lesson.

Aelita stared down at the table, on the verge of tears.

_So much for a better Monday._

Odd sighed heavily, and underneath the table, moved his foot around hers, and brought it towards himself.

She set her head down sideways on her arm, and kept a constant eye on Odd, wishing unhappily that class would end sooner.

* * *

The bell rang, and Odd nearly exploded out of his seat.

"Let's go. Lunch is calling, and you seriously need to eat something."

Aelita pushed herself from the table, and Odd was quick to help her up.

She drug her feet as he pulled her along, out of the classroom door, and into the hall.

From there, Odd turned to face her, and raised his chin slightly.

"Piggyback ride?"

"...Please."

Odd smiled, and knelt down in front of her.

_Time to debunk this scrawny nonsense..._

She slumped onto his back, and yelped slightly as he lifted her off her feet quickly, and marched forward.

* * *

Aelita watched with delight as numerous other students in the hallway eyed them, curiously, and dubiously, as they went along.

They approached the entrance to the outside, and several people few stood clear as Aelita reached ahead and pushed the doors open, squinting as they stepped into the sunlight outside.

Odd sucked in another breath, and continued towards the cafeteria, still garnering some attention from students nearby that weren't in the hallway.

He came to a slow halt at the steps to the building, and turned around.

"...Dismount?" Aelita whispered.

"Yup."

She moved her legs back, and conveniently stepped onto the platform, releasing her arms from his shoulders.

Odd exhaled deeply, and then stepped up beside her, and they both ambled inside the little building, hand in hand.

* * *

Yumi watched casually as both Ulrich and Jeremy walked up in front of her.

"Did I just see that...?" She drawled.

"...Odd giving Aelita a piggyback ride?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, you did."

Yumi shook her head slightly.

"I didn't know he was even capable of that."

Ulrich smiled slightly.

"I'm pretty sure Aelita doesn't weigh all that much."

Jeremy looked at them, and then beyond, at the cafeteria.

"I don't know about both of you, but I'm having lunch."

* * *

Odd watched, impressed, as Aelita ravaged the meal on her platter, almost as fast as him.

She paused, and peeped at him as he eyed her, eyebrow raised.

"Hungry?"

She smiled.

"Maybe..."

She continued eating, and Odd twiddled his fork around in his fingers.

"I thought you said something about eating safely not too long ago..."

Aelita giggled slightly.

"I'm trying not to be hungry to death."

Odd got a smug grin on his face.

"You do learn things pretty fast."

She paused, and turned her head at the blonde, eying him mischievously.

"...Practice makes perfect, doesn't it?"

Odd, noticing his other three friends had just walked in, propped his head on his arm.

"...And timing, is everything."

Aelita raised her eyebrow, and scanned the cafeteria, spotting Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremy.

They both watched as the three of them sat at their usual table, even though Odd and Aelita were at a different one.

So far, all of them ignored each other, besides trading momentary looks.

Aelita finished what was left on her plate, just moments after Odd, and reclined back into her chair.

"Feel like a champ?"

She smiled, and tilted her head back

"I guess so."

"That's the spirit."

They both sat quietly, and after a few seconds, Aelita flopped her hand over onto the table, next to his tray.

Odd gingerly poked it with his finger, and she grabbed it, keeping hold as he lifted it up in a lazy attempt to free it.

"...You got me."

Aelita then snatched a hold of his whole hand, and pulled it off the table, draping them over the space between the chairs.

"Yes I did..." She whispered, watching as Odd fumbled with her hand, and pushed his fingers between hers.

.

Her curious eyes wandered up into his, and her mischievous smile quickly returned.

"...And now that you're where I want you..."

* * *

Ulrich swallowed, and stuck another portion of food with his fork.

His eyes rose back up, and he was just about to put the fork in his mouth, until he noticed them.

.

His hand faltered, and his fork simply descended back down to the tray.

Jeremy, noticing this, blinked at Ulrich, which caught the attention of Yumi, who looked where Ulrich was looking.

* * *

Odd and Aelita were both locked together, slowly making out.

* * *

"I'm not even going to bother looking..." Jeremy said quietly.

"Good. Don't."

Ulrich grunted as Yumi shook her head again, and he resumed eating, trying hard to ignore the scene.

* * *

Sissi watched, trying to hold back a sneer, as both Odd and Aelita toddled past her table to the doorway, and found their way back outside.

"Who do those two think they are..."

"I can't believe how easily Odd swept that girl off her feet."

Sissi huffed.

"She'll be in for a surprise, knowing how Della Robbia works..."

* * *

Aelita breathed deeply, taking in the cool, breezy air around them.

"...I love Spring."

The blonde walked his fingers across her stomach, and she trapped it by setting her own hand on top of it.

"Me too."

She shifted herself slightly, and then looked at him, upside down.

"...More than Summer?

"Maybe. I like both seasons the same."

She eyed his other hand as he walked his fingers on her again, and with a giggle, trapped it too.

Odd sighed, and rolled his head to the side in the grass they were laying in.

"...Hows the arm."

Aelita blinked, but then remembered what he was talking about, and let go of his hands to pull back her sleeve.

She eyed it curiously, but wasn't sure what to tell him.

"...Can you look at it?"

"Sure."

Odd put his arms back, and heaved both her and himself upright, and peeked his head over her shoulder.

He reached around and got a gentle hold of her arm, and looked it over.

"...Nothing serious."

She watched intently as he pressed his thumb into it repeatedly, going down as he went.

Suddenly, she jerked, and her face contorted for a moment.

"...Oww."

Odd let go of her arm, and squeezed her inside a hug.

"Sorry."

"...Still hurts." She whispered, closing her hand.

Odd smiled, and laid back down into the grass again, and Aelita looked up into the light blue sky above, watching quietly as poofy white clouds slowly grew bigger as they floated by.

"See... Eating quickly, and getting outside before everybody else, leaves time for just what we're doing."

"It does."

A lazy smile spread across his face from her reply.

She shut her eyes slowly, and couldn't help to blush a little as he ran his fingers through her hair.

The only sounds to be heard, were the rustle of leaves from the breeze, and the quiet chatter of other students in the background.

* * *

After a few moments, Odd paused his hand, and waited.

"...Keep going." She whispered.

He grinned, and continued, watching with delight as she stretched a little bit, and settled comfortably, closing her eyes.

"...I wouldn't mind a bed either."

She smiled, eyes still shut.

"You are my bed."

Odd raised an eyebrow.

"...Della Robbia mattress?"

"Best there is..." She drew off, and took in a great breath, releasing plenty of stress as she exhaled.

_This, is how Mondays should be..._


	29. Chapter 29

Jeremy sighed, and Ulrich eyed the blonde.

"What's up, Einstein..."

Jeremy stared down at his binder for a moment, and then at his brunette friend.

"Now that I've been thinking a lot about it..."

He looked just beyond, at Aelita, and then back at him.

"...I guess I was starting to lose her."

Ulrich set his hand on the boy's shoulder, and shook him a little bit.

"I know its probably impossible to believe, but, there are other girls out there that wouldn't mind being with a supergenius like you."

Jeremy's eyes lowered.

"I thought she was like that... Turns out I was wrong."

Ulrich retracted his hand, and touched it to his chin.

"You know the old rule, right... Opposites attract?"

Jeremy's closed his eyes.

"...Works great for those two."

The brunette boy then smiled.

"But in your case..."

Jeremy's eye opened, and he peered at him.

"...You might find yourself a good one."

* * *

Although he didn't show it, he liked the sound of what Ulrich was saying.

It still felt terrible to have lost Aelita that easily though...

* * *

He looked over at the other blonde boy, but still felt some resentment.

_Odd may like to shake things up, but he went a little far this time..._


	30. Chapter 30

Aelita walked quietly beside Odd, the last class of the day thankfully over, as they headed down the hall.

Odd pushed open the door to the outside, and they both paused for a moment, seeing Ulrich and Yumi in the distance outside, and Jeremy even further away, alone, typing on his laptop.

He reached over, and slipped his hand into hers, and she mingled her fingers with his as they continued outside, and found their way to a bench in the courtyard, keeping their distance from the others.

Dropping her bag to the ground, Aelita sat down next to the blonde, but was quick to press herself into him in a hug, which he promptly returned.

Her eyes fell upon the other three people she knew, and all of them, were looking at her and Odd.

She solemnly lowered her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

Odd, hearing her sob quietly, brought her head back, and seeing two tear trails running down her cheeks, breathed a heavy sigh.

He touched his hand to the back of her neck, watching sadly as she set her face against his chest, and after a moment, looked over his shoulder at the other three.

His patience with them, was starting to run out.

* * *

Ulrich set his head onto his hand.

"...I really don't care about what they did anymore, now that you keep complaining about it."

Yumi narrowed her eyebrows at the brunette boy as he stared at the ground below, but stayed silent as he then stood to his feet.

"In fact, I'll just leave if you can't talk about anything else."

He started walking away, and Yumi clenched her fist, but her anger turned into regret as she watched him disappear into the distance.

The boy gave a passing glance at Odd, but continued on his way, rounding a corner, and vanishing altogether.

* * *

Jeremy watched reluctantly, as all four of his friends ended up in sad dispositions.

Yumi quietly walked away from the bench after a few moments, and disappeared behind a different building, but Odd and Aelita stayed put.

_At least she has Odd to be with..._

He shut his laptop, and looked up into the sky above, studying the wispy cirrus clouds floating high above the school.

_Too much drama in such a short time span..._

* * *

Ulrich walked slowly along, hands in his pockets, going nowhere in particular.

Rounding two corners, and walking down a set of stairs, he looked beyond the buildings, at the trees surrounding the campus, and then shut his his eyes in a sigh.

"Hey Ulrich."

He looked ahead of himself, and ground to a halt.

_Emily._

"...Hey." He blinked.

She leaned her head a little bit, letting her bangs move across her face slightly.

"...Is something wrong?"

"No... _Well_..."

He paused, from her raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Actually."

She pushed herself off of the wall.

"Something personal?"

Ulrich looked around quickly, and then stepped closer to her.

"Are you going somewhere soon?"

Both of the girl's eyebrows rose.

"The library... Why?"

Ulrich chewed his lip for a brief moment.

"...Is it alright if I go with you?"

Emily couldn't help to blush slightly.

"I... Sure!"

Ulrich smiled for a moment, and they both started walking, side by side.

* * *

Emily looked at him, curious why he suddenly wanted to be with her.

Noticing her expression, the brunette boy sighed.

"I just need somewhere to think. And hide."

"...With me?" She whispered, still quite curious.

"As long as you don't mind..."

She smiled, and pushed open the library door, walking beside him as they found their way to a quiet corner.

_No Ulrich, I don't mind at all..._


	31. Chapter 31

Jeremy sat silently, head on his hand, watching as various students meandered into the cafeteria.

He wasn't usually early to dinner, but he wasn't usually devoid of friends, either.

.

A few minutes later, Ulrich stepped inside, but... Emily was trailing, not far behind.

The blonde slowly corrected his glasses, seeing them sit down together at a different table, and returned his attention to the door.

_Stern had better tread lightly._

* * *

Ulrich's heart was racing.

Being with Emily right then, was probably the worst thing he could do, but it was just what he needed.

_Maybe Odd was right... For once._

Emily peeped at him as he scanned the cafeteria for Della Robbia, but having no luck, he lowered his head, and grunted.

"...Who are you hiding from?"

His attention quickly went to her.

"Everybody. Sorta."

The girl propped her head on her arm.

"Did you commit a crime or something?"

The boy's eyes lowered.

"...No. Just emotional stuff going on right now."

He looked back up to her face, which was showing some worry.

"Family?"

"...Friends." He huffed, watching for a moment as both Odd and Aelita stepped inside, and got in line for dinner.

_No smiles on their faces either..._

He tapped his fork onto his tray quietly, but then blinked, as she set her hand on top of his.

"You know you can talk to me... If you want to."

Ulrich eyed the girl, but their curious glances at the other, locked together.

One of the rare few times he blushed, was right then.

He nodded after a moment, and she smiled, and withdrew her hand, but was surprised to see him get a gentle hold of it again.

He peeped around for a moment, and then ducked his head low.

"Your hands are really soft..."

She turned a shade redder - _Only slightly unexpected_...

"Thank you..."

He smiled, but seeing Sissi stroll past in the distance, he was quick to release her hand again.

The girl's eyes lowered down to it as she drew it back towards herself.

That boy was up to something, if all he wanted to do was be around her...

She looked at him in the corner of her eye, and silently exhaled.

_Wasn't he with Yumi or whoever?_

* * *

Jeremy watched as Odd and Aelita neared his table, and to his own disbelief, he held his hand out in front of Odd to stop him.

Both of the blonde boys' tired glances clashed, and Aelita cautiously peeked around Odd's shoulder.

"...Yeah?" He drawled.

Jeremy raised his head, and looked over at Ulrich.

"How long has that been happening."

Odd peered over at his brunette friend, and blinked.

"...I don't really know."

He looked back at Jeremy, who had a flat look on his face, but Odd shook his head.

"I'm not kidding - I have no idea."

Aelita eyed Ulrich, just as he looked over at her, and she was utterly surprised.

Jeremy sunk his head back down quietly, and Odd continued along, and sat with Aelita at a table of their own.

* * *

She looked over at the brunette boy again, and then at Odd, worried.

"..._Emily_?"

"Yeah." Odd whispered and then took a bite of the food on his tray.

Aelita put her hand against her face.

"...But, what about _Yumi?_"

Odd breathed a sigh through his nose, and set his fork down, turning himself towards the rather confused girl.

"...A while back, Ulrich and Emily got kinda close, cause he and Yumi weren't getting anywhere."

Aelita's eyebrows slowly rose.

"They grew apart again for a while afterward because he and Yumi almost kissed... But lately, he's been getting kinda restless with her again."

"Is that why he..."

She drew off as Odd looked over at the boy in question again.

"...Yeah. He mentioned Emily not too long ago."

Aelita held her head up with both of her arms, but Odd set his hand on the back of her neck.

"Don't get all worried about him. It won't be long and he'll change his mind again."

She sighed, puzzled.

"Are you sure...?"

Odd picked up his fork, but hesitated.

"...No."


	32. Chapter 32

Aelita pushed her tray forward, having lost interest entirely in eating.

Noticing this, Odd studied it for a moment, and then met the pink haired girl eye to eye. She shook her head slowly, and lowered her chin to her arms on the table, and the blonde boy stared at the little bit of food left on his own platter.

"Just another minute or two, Princess."

She rolled her head to the side, and watched as he raced through the remains of his dinner, trying his best to keep the waiting at a minimum.

* * *

Jeremy blinked as Odd and Aelita walked past again, headed for the door out of the cafeteria.

_Dinner isn't even halfway over, and they're leaving._

He set his utensil down, and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

Looking back up, and correcting his glasses, the two were already gone.

He shook his head, but then watched as Yumi stepped inside.

_...With William trailing behind._

The blonde's eyebrows nearly rose off of his forehead.

Dinner was about to get ugly in short order.

* * *

Aelita stood, hand over mouth, and eyes quite wide, after seeing both Yumi and William walk past, headed for the cafeteria.

Odd, next to her, could only watch as the two stepped inside, having no idea what was about to take place.

The girl turned to Odd, and clung onto him, scared for both Ulrich and Yumi.

"What do we do?"

He pulled her into an hug, and stared at the Cafeteria.

"We don't do anything... It doesn't involve us."

Aelita pushed the side of her face into his collarbone.

"Everything involves us... They're all sad and angry, because of us."

Odd grunted in disagreement.

"They're sad and angry because emotions are off the charts, and the whole world is really good at dragging us down."

Aelita shut her eyes.

"...And we're saving it, even though it hates us."

The blonde nudged her off, and collected her hands.

"The world doesn't hate us... It just doesn't like having everything messed up."

Her eyes slowly rose up to his, and he pressed her hands together, between both of his.

"...That's why we keep having to save it. Things would be pretty messed up if we didn't."

She moaned quietly, and sighed through her nose.

"...Can we go to your room?"

Odd blinked, but a smile grew on his face.

"You bet we can."

He released one of her hands, and turned, slowly leading her along towards the dormitories.

* * *

The blonde pushed open the door to his and Ulrich's room, and after stepping inside, he closed it behind them, and watched curiously as Aelita pulled off both of her boots.

She kicked them aside, and sat on Odd's bed, holding herself up with an arm.

"...You should join me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Taking a nap?"

She huffed.

"I've been needing one... A good, restful one."

With that, she pulled back the sheets on his partially made bed, and with a quiet chuckle, Odd pulled his own shoes off.

"I may just oblige to your offer."

He watched as she flounced into his bed, and then sidled into it himself, reaching up and pulling the covers back over both of them.

They both shuffled around, and ended up in a comfortable embrace, even with regular clothes on.

Within moments, the pink haired girl's eyes were shut, followed a few minutes later, by the blonde's.

A quiet rest, was just what both needed...


	33. Chapter 33

Ulrich walked down the hall, without a sound.

If it wasn't for Emily's company earlier, he probably would have destroyed William. _Completely. _After that, Yumi and Sissi would team up and destroy him, for being around Emily.

He approached the door to his room, and his eyes sunk down to the carpet he was walking on.

Maybe, there would be a day where he wouldn't have to be jealous in any way. A day where there would be one girl, just for him, and nobody else would bother him.

He scoffed, and set his hand onto the door handle.

_That'll be the day..._

Pushing the door open, Kiwi, who awoke startled, barked a few times, before quieting down, and wagging his tail.

Noticing the lumps underneath the sheets on Odd's bed, the brunette blinked, and his eyes fell upon not only Odd, but Aelita too, fast asleep in his bed.

_How adorable._

The brunette stepped inside, and shut the door, sitting, and then laying back on his bed.

Kiwi hopped off of Odd, and jumped up onto Ulrich's bed, greeting him with a lick on the face.

While the little dog was against the rules, he still made good company now and then...

* * *

After a couple of minutes, Ulrich looked over at his two friends, and then at Kiwi.

Stroking the little dog's back a few times, Ulrich smiled, and pointed towards Odd, across the room.

"Go wake up your owner."

Kiwi stood to his feet, and to the boy's slight disbelief, hopped off the bed, walked across the floor, and jumped onto the sheets, walking around on the blonde's body before sitting, and panting, right in front of his face.

After a few seconds of inhaling dog breath, Odd's eyes opened, and an arm came out from under the sheets as he reached to pet Kiwi.

"...My little diggity dog, You should eat a breath mint."

Hearing a chuckle across the room, Odd quickly pushed himself up, and discovered Ulrich was indeed in the room.

"Stern."

"That's me."

Odd watched as he looked at Aelita, who was still asleep, and then back at him with a smug smile.

"Let me guess... Her idea?"

Odd descended back onto the bed, and slipped his arm around the girl's waist daintily.

"You guessed it."

"You two are weird. You know that?"

The blonde breathed a purposefully audible sigh.

"This is Aelita we're talking about..."

"So...?" Ulrich's eyebrow rose.

"...If it was any other girl that knew the significance of sleeping with a boy, there would be no way in _hell_ that she'd let me sleep with her already."

The brunette's smile simply grew in size.

"Sounds like you don't mind taking advantage of her not knowing that."

Odd sat back up, and gave his friend a blank look.

"...Ulrich, I've even tried telling her why sleeping together is against the rules and all."

"What does she say?"

"She wants my company, dude. That's all there is to it."

Ulrich blinked, not sure if he should believe Odd, and looked at the pink haired girl lazily.

"...She's tired, alright? She asked me if we could come to our room, and then kicked her shoes off and crawled into my bed, and invited me to nap with her."

"And you just couldn't resist that invitation."

Ulrich grinned at Odd's tired glare. The frustration in the blonde's expression was almost palpable.

* * *

Hearing two extra voices being spoken, Aelita was blasted out of dreamworld, and back into reality.

Her eyes slowly, curiously opened, and her hearing kicked back into gear, discerning the two voices as those of Odd, and Ulrich.

"Let me put it to you in Ulrich Stern terms - If whoever you settle on, invites you to get in bed with her two days after you start going out... I'm pretty sure it would be hard for you to resist that too."

The smile, and glare, switched sides between the boys.

"Odd... _No_. None of the girls that I know are like that."

"Like what?"

Ulrich looked at Aelita, and blinked, swearing he saw one of her eyes open.

"...Like her."

Odd's grin simply grew wider.

"Sounds like you're just jealous."

"Uh huh, No."

"You are."

The brunette stared at Odd, trying to strangle him with his eyes.

"NO."

"So Jealous..." Odd shook his head, still grinning.

"If you say that word one more time..." The brunette drawled, drawing his finger across his neck as a warning.

Both of the boys, and Kiwi, looked over at Aelita when a giggle escaped from her.

"...So you are awake." Ulrich eyed the girl as a smile spread across her face.

"I am." She chimed, and turned over, stretching her arms, and upsetting Kiwi's position on top of her.

She pushed herself up with her arms, and Kiwi, disgruntled from being dumped off, walked over and sat in her lap.

The little dog quickly forgot that though, once Aelita started to pet him softly.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Odd eyed the girl as she yawned, trying hard to resist yawning himself.

"I did."

She watched with delight as all three males in the room yawned in a chain reaction.

Odd blinked, and then crawled over next to Aelita as she rubbed Kiwi's belly with her fingers.

"Yawns are contagious."

"I noticed."

She paused as he touched his lips to hers in a kiss.

Odd then scooted back, and settled onto his pillows, and seeing this, Aelita lowered herself backwards onto his bed, settling her head onto his chest at an angle.

"Alright... Discussion time. What happened in the cafeteria after we left?"

Ulrich scowled, but was glad he at least had an audience.

"Okay... Yumi and William walked in, and got their food, right? Then they started walking to a table, and idiot William notices me, which makes Yumi look at me, which then makes Sissi look at me."

Odd's mouth opened.

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Yumi and Sissi were MAD. At least Emily helped me glare back at them."

"...She did?"

"...It was kind of awesome, actually. I didn't think she would either."

"...What happened afterward?" Aelita spoke up.

"We both left... She kinda quietly said bye and went her own way."

Odd raised an eyebrow, seeing the reluctance on his friend's face after he said that.

"Ulrich... You should have stayed with her. She stood up for you."

He looked at both of his friends.

"...She went her own way."

"I bet she actually wanted you to stick with her."

The brunette drooped his head, and mouthed a swear word silently.

"...Probably."

He looked back up at Odd, who had his hand under his chin.

"You should go find her."

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

Ulrich blinked.

"What if Jim..."

"So? Make up a story. You're good at that."

The boy mulled over what Odd was saying, but then got to his feet quickly.

"Alright... I'll try and find her."

He walked over to the door, and opened it, but then paused, and looked at both Odd and Aelita.

"Are you sure I should do this?"

"Remember what I said the other day?"

His eyebrow rose.

"...She's not gonna go anywhere soon."

Seeing Odd and Aelita smile, and Kiwi wag his tail, he chewed his lip, and then bolted out of the door.

_Mission Time._


	34. Chapter 34

Ulrich faltered, looking up the flight of stairs that went to the girl's hallway.

Not only was it against the rules, but he didn't know what room Emily was in anyway.

His hands slipped down into his pockets, and he turned and leaned against the wall nearby.

_So much for the earlier determination..._

He drew his phone from his pocket, and looked at the time as the soft glow of the screen lit up his face.

His eyes then averted to his room down the hall, and his head drooped.

Last thing he needed was to walk back in there only a minute after leaving... Especially with those two present.

His phone disappeared back inside his pocket, and he slid down against the wall, setting his head on his crossed arms, which rested on top of his knees.

Hearing footsteps, he shut his eyes, and braced himself for being yelled at.

"...Ulrich?"

The boy's eyes shot open.

_Unbelievable._

"Emily."

The girl peered down the dim hallway, and then sat on the lowest step, next to him.

"Is there a reason you're sitting out here?" She whispered.

"Yes... There is."

She tilted her head slightly, and he looked right up at her.

"...I was actually about to look for you."

"You... _Were?_"

She paused, trying not to blush.

Ulrich breathed a heavy sigh, and scooted over closer to her, sitting beside her feet.

"I... Wanted to apologize about the whole staring situation earlier, during dinner..."

She leaned forward, propping her head up on her arm.

"...It wasn't right for me to drag you into that."

Emily nudged the boy with her foot, and he looked up at her again.

"It wasn't that bad... Somebody needed to stand up for you anyway."

The boy looked down at her shoe thoughtfully.

"I... Well... Thanks."

She turned her head in a slight blush, and then watched as he stood up.

In a slight surprise, he offered his hand, and helped her to her feet.

"Sorry about interrupting you... Wherever you were going."

The girl eyed him curiously, and kept a hold of his hand for a moment.

"You didn't interrupt at all... I was wandering too."

After briefly eying the other, their hands slipped apart, and Ulrich stepped aside.

"I know its not really late and all... But... Goodnight."

"Going to bed?"

"Probably."

She looked over her glasses at him, but a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"...Goodnight to you too."

He smiled, and lowered his head as she quietly continued on her way down the hall.

Waiting until she was some distance away, he headed towards his room, and just before opening the door, peeked over his shoulder for a moment.

Sure enough, Emily was also peeking at him from a distance.

They both turned their heads away bashfully, but after a few seconds, the boy looked back down the hallway.

...But she was gone.

* * *

Aelita turned her head, hearing the door open again.

The smile on Ulrich's face, was quick to bring one to her own, and Odd peeked his head over the girl, ready to do a debriefing.

They both watched as the brunette boy sat down, and reclined back on his bed, still smiling.

"How did it go...?" Aelita whispered.

The boy simply grinned, and stretched his arms.

"...I found her, after a little while."

"Now we're talking..." Odd remarked, and rested his head back onto the pillow.

"...Anything happen?"

The brunette hesitated.

"I apologized for the dinner experience... Said it wasn't right for me to bring her into something like that."

Odd peeked back up over Aelita as he paused.

"...She also apparently didn't mind sticking up for me."

He looked over at his blonde friend, who had a smug smile reach across his face.

"What."

"She likes you."

"...And?"

Odd shrugged, and Aelita looked up at him, eyebrow raised.

"I've known that for a while, Odd. That's why she doesn't mind me being around at all."

"Sounds like you need to take the plunge and do something about that."

Ulrich's eyebrows rose.

The idea was too good to pass up, but like always, the other girls fighting to claim him, would kill him if he tried.

_Some things though, are worth risking your life over..._

"Well..."

Odd set his hand against his face, and sunk back down onto his bed once more.

"...Well _what?_ Can't make up your mind again?"

Ulrich closed his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"Normally, Odd, I would say you just don't understand... But I'm not going to repeat myself anymore."

"...Good."

Odd then grunted when Aelita stuck his stomach with her arm.

"Be nice."

The blonde rested his free hand on the inside of her elbow, and slowly slid it up along her arm, watching as her fingers squeezed together in response to the bruise being touched.

She rolled over and grabbed his wrist, and he smiled as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"That hurts."

"I bet it does."

Her eyes relaxed, and she breathed a sigh.

"...I want a hug."

She smiled as he snaked his arms around her sides, and tugged her up close.

"You've got one."

Ulrich slowly shook his head, and turned away from them.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you two."

Odd faked a sigh, and Aelita stifled a giggle.

"Normally I'd say you don't understand. but-."

"Shut it." Ulrich growled.

The room was quiet, and Aelita couldn't help giggling again.

"...I probably shouldn't bother repeating myself anymore." Odd whispered to her.

The girl yelped when a pillow smacked into the wall next to them both, and fell onto Odd's head.

He started laughing, and threw the pillow back across the room, halfway expecting it to return onto his head with much more force.

After a few more moments of silence though, Aelita pushed her forehead up against Odd's, and exhaled happily.

.

Suddenly...

.

**_WHAM!_**

A pillow was brought down upon both of their heads, and Odd released his arms from around her, and clutched a pillow from his own bed.

Aelita sat up, moment ruined, but was quite entertained with the battle that was about to take place.

The blonde stood to his feet on his bed, and squeezed the pillow together as if he were cocking a gun.

"Who dares strike me and my fair princess!" He announced boldly.

"I do." The brunette challenged.

Both of the boys stared at the other, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Boys... Can't we all resolve this peacefully?" Aelita inquired from the sidelines.

Right then, they both leaped at each other, and started flailing pillows, striking each other repeatedly with their soft, cumbersome swords.

Hit after hit, and no effect with each blow, they started to change tactics, shoving and sideswiping to try and gain some advantage over the other combatant.

Ulrich charged into the blonde, using the pillow as a plow, and knocked the boy backwards onto his bed, hitting him repeatedly while he was bent over, trying to block his pillow with his arms.

Aelita, seeing this, jumped to her feet with the blonde's pillow, and nailed Ulrich right in the face, stunning him for a second, until he turned and started fighting back, quickly overpowering the girl.

Odd, though, regained his footing, and charged into his brunette friend, nearly forcing him off balance, and turning the battle into a wrestling match in short order.

* * *

After being slammed into the door twice, Odd watched, dazed slightly, as Ulrich backed away, still armed with a pillow.

"...Up for more?"

"You're the one who started this."

"I know." He smiled, watching then as Aelita stepped in front of the blonde defensively, with a pillow of her own.

Her lack of a smile made the brunette boy pause.

"Aelita..."

"Pushing Odd into a door two times, isn't a pillow fight as far as I know."

Ulrich raised an eyebrow.

"Odd and I wrestle all the time. He's fine."

The girl eyed him over her shoulder, and then looked at the floor.

"You could have hurt him somehow."

"...Like he hasn't been beat on before, Aelita. He's not as fragile as you think."

Her arms lowered, and the pillow sank down onto the floor, and Odd's arms wrapped around her waist.

"I'm fine, princess."

A heavy breath escaped her lungs, and she pulled out of Odd's embrace, and drug the pillow along the floor as she walked over and sat on his bed.

"I... Just wanted you both to be careful..."

Ulrich rolled his eyes, and after a few moments, threw his pillow aside onto his bed.

"There. We're not even going to do this anymore, since its so dangerous..."

He walked over and turned off the lamp on the desk, and climbed into bed in the darkness, turning away from both of his friends.

.

Aelita, caught off guard by his reaction, could only stare at the dark floor, confused, and on the verge of tears.

After a brief silence though, Odd stormed over, brought Aelita to her feet, and without a further word, walked out of his room, and shut the door audibly.


	35. Chapter 35

Odd sat back in the corner, halfway up the stairwell to the dormitories, and kept Aelita tight in his arms.

Between them, was his bed pillow that she had held onto the whole time.

"...I just didn't want you both to injure each other."

"You haven't seen us wrestle much, have you?" Odd whispered.

She peered back over her shoulder at him, and the tear streak on her face glinted from the light in the hallway.

"I don't want to."

"We don't normally involve doors, just so you know."

She looked away, and then shut her eyes.

"What if he pushed you into the door handle twice..."

Odd's eyes slowly sank from her following silence.

"...Then you _would_ be hurt. I don't want that... I don't ever want that."

Odd reached up and touched her chin, and she slumped down against him.

"...Xana tries to hurt everybody as it is."

Burying his nose into her hair and hugging her close, he shut his eyes, listening to her quiet breaths, and the occasional sniffle.

Day after day was ending in sadness, and something needed to seriously change...

* * *

Yumi lay still in her bed, staring out of the window at one of the stars in the sky as it glinted.

An already disappointing day had declined even further in a matter of hours at school.

_Everybody's sad, mad and upset over everybody else... And Ulrich's hanging around with Emily again._

_I thought he got over her after last time... And then I wander into the cafeteria, and everybody ends up staring at each other._

_He sure pushes his luck with things... I told him we're just friends, and it sure sank into his thick head the wrong way._

Her eyes shut, and she shifted her legs.

_Emily LeDuc... What does he even see in her anyway?_


	36. Chapter 36

Jeremy reclined back in the rotating chair in front of the supercomputer, shutting, and then rubbing his eyes.

It was not often that the entire group was separated like this.

The blonde then looked down at his hands, resting upon the keyboard, and sighed.

If everybody got this upset over two people getting together... One could only imagine the aftermath of something that was actually serious.

_Serious._

The word floated around in his head.

The computer he was using, helped host a lot of serious problems. _Aelita having forged legal documents... Also pretty serious._

_Hiding a secret from the rest of the world... Pretty damn serious too._

Then, of course, there was...

Jeremy looked up, startled, when the superscan came to life, and after sifting through multiple towers, locked onto one, and started beeping.

..._That_.

The blonde's fingers quickly pattered away on the keyboard, closing, as well as starting several programs on the computer.

Xana just launched an attack, and now was no time to dawdle.

* * *

Odd lifted his head, and fished out his cell phone as it vibrated like mad.

(Odd) "...Hello?"

(Jeremy) "Odd - Xana just launched an attack... Do you know where the others are?"

(Odd) "Ulrich is in my room, sulking."

(Jeremy) "...What about Aelita?"

(Odd) "She's right here with me."

(Jeremy) "Tell Ulrich to come down to the factory too."

Odd paused as Aelita lifted her head, and looked up at him.

(Odd) "About that... He kinda snapped at Aelita earlier, and we both left the room."

(Jeremy) "Hmmm... Yumi is probably mad at him too."

.

Odd's eyes met Aelita's from the intermittent silence over the phone.

(Jeremy) "...I'm gonna try a conference call, and get all four of you on the line at the same time. I'll call you right back."

Odd watched as Aelita drew her phone from her pocket, and after she set it on her lap, he did the same, smiling as her eyebrow slowly rose.

A few moments later, both of them were treated to a symphony of vibrating phones, and Odd reached around her, and plucked one from her lap.

Realizing too late it was Aelita's phone he had grabbed, he paused as she looked over her shoulder with a cheeky grin, his phone in her hand.

Picking up the call at the same time, Odd and Aelita stayed silent, but then, in a chorus...

"..._Hello_?"

Much to their surprise, three other friends said the exact same tired greeting, at the exact same time.

"Now that you're all on the line..." Jeremy drawled.

"Hanging up in ten seconds..." came Ulrich's voice.

"...I have a program running that will instantly call you right back."

Odd couldn't help to stifle a quiet chuckle.

"Shut up, Odd."

"Sounds like somebody needs to chill." Yumi muttered.

"...Says you." the brunette replied.

"Guys... Come on." Jeremy huffed. "I think we all need to settle down and give each other a break."

"...Especially Aelita." Odd sighed.

"Odd... You both haven't really helped matters lately."

Aelita looked over at Odd, and after a quick exchange of looks, and a glance down the stairs, they two started walking down the stairwell.

"I think you all need to stop pinning the blame on us, and think about how your own actions aren't helping matters either." Aelita huffed, and paused as Odd quietly pushed open the dormitory doors.

After a momentary pause, as everybody waited for somebody else to speak, Jeremy sighed.

"Is everybody done arguing now? The real reason I called, before you four started bickering..."

"Bickering, huh?"

"Look it up, Ulrich. You know plenty about it."

"Oh yeah?"

The four of them quieted after hearing an audible thump, of Jeremy's fist hitting the keyboard.

"Look, guys, I know we're all tired, hurt, and angry at each other for various reasons, but your petty arguments have got to stop. I called all of you to warn you that Xana just launched an attack, and all I get as a response is whining and complaining."

"Why didn't you say that sooner?"

"Because you interrupted me, Ulrich... I want all four of you here at the factory as soon as possible - And try not to kill each other when you all finally meet up."

"We'll be there." Odd nodded, and after a quick glance at Aelita as she hung up, he ended the call too.

"...Here's your phone."

Odd set it in her outstretched hand, and after handing him his, they rounded a corner, and broke into a run, towards the campus gate.

"You sure you don't want a pink phone?" Aelita joked as they dashed out of the grounds, and along the sidewalk of the quiet road.

"If I did, I would have kept yours!"

* * *

At the factory, and out of breath, the pair knelt down on the ledge, three cables hanging in front of them in the open air of the factory, motionless.

Odd peeked at her, and then her boots.

"Ever consider regular shoes...?"

"Yes... But I like my boots." Aelita sat down, and wrapped her arms protectively around them.

Her expression changed as Ulrich walked past, just beyond Odd, and without a word, he grabbed a hold of one of the cables, and slid down to the floor below.

Odd turned around, and watched as Yumi walked past a moment later, but despite how she sounded over the phone, her expression didn't quite match.

She peered over the edge at the brunette boy, and with a quiet, hurting sigh, jumped, and then slid down to the factory floor.

A few footsteps were heard, but afterward, nothing.

The entire factory, dark and gloomy, known to make the occasional creak and clatter from disrepair, was unnervingly silent.

Aelita, eyes wide, looked around for a moment, and seeing the cables, reluctantly decided to join the others. She stepped over to the edge, and leaped forward, clutching onto the cable as it slackened in a jerk while she slid down.

Odd watched unnervingly, fearing the results of missing the cable, and plummeting to the floor thirty feet below. He had been higher, but never gave thought to what would happen if one fell...

Shaking off the thoughts, he steeled himself, and leaned forward, trying to grab one of the cables, but it tormented him, being just out of reach. With a short leap, he was weightless, but then managed to clutch the cable, and winced as his hands burned from the friction.

_Stairs would be a whole lot better than this..._

* * *

Odd dropped to his feet onto the floor, and after standing back up straight, stepped over beside the pink haired girl, who hugged him from behind for a moment.

Catching a glimpse of the other two looking at him, he looked at the floor.

"...Suddenly scared of heights?"

Brushing aside the sarcasm, Odd looked up at the three cables, which were slowly swaying.

"You're one to talk, Ulrich..."

Yumi leaned against one of the metal girders, listening to the noises of the elevator coming up the shaft.

She looked up at Odd, and then noticing Aelita timidly peeking at her from behind him, her eyes lowered.

_Enough, was enough._

The four of them watched as the sheet metal door of the elevator rose upward, and after a brief pause, Ulrich stepped inside, followed by Odd, and Aelita.

Waiting until the girl was next to her, Yumi reached out and got a gentle hold of her arm.

Quite surprised, Aelita looked up to the girl.

"I'm... Sorry about being snappy... The other day."

Aelita's eyes softened, and she nodded very slightly, approving her apology. To Yumi's surprise though, Aelita stepped over, and surrounded her in a hug, which was rapidly returned.

They parted, and stepped into the elevator with the two boys, but all four still stayed silent as the elevator lowered down into the earth, heading down the shaft towards the supercomputer...

* * *

Jeremy's eyes averted to the elevator door as it twisted, and opened in its usual complex way, revealing his four friends like a curtain unsheathing a play.

Silence, besides footsteps, still hung in the air as they all stepped out, and surrounded the chair of the supercomputer, awaiting orders.

The seated blonde waited until the door of the elevator shut again, and then turned around to face his friends.

Their complexion, was made simply of fatigue, and sadness.

Both Odd and Aelita, knowing they were behind a lot of it, were suffering the most.

"...Has everybody here cooled down?" Jeremy drawled, looking over each of them for brief moments, and then focused on Ulrich in particular, who nodded uncomfortably.

"Xana has launched an attack, as we already know... Have any of you seen anything out of the ordinary while you came here?"

Seeing four faces imply 'no', he sighed.

"That's not a good thing. People could be getting hurt and we don't even -."

He paused, and all five of them looked up, when the floor, and several loose parts above, rattled for a second.

A thin layer of dust floated down, and Jeremy turned to the computer.

"...Get to the scanner room. You all know the drill - Aelita first."

With an exchange of curious looks, the four of them shuffled over to the elevator again.

.

The curtain analogy came back to Jeremy's mind as the door shut, and he blew air from his mouth in a preparative, deep breath.

_Time to stop Xana, and whatever he was doing to the factory up above..._


	37. Chapter 37

"Virtualization..."

* * *

Odd dropped down beside Yumi onto the surface of the ice sector.

Getting to his feet, he quickly scanned the immediate area, and breathed a sigh as Aelita stepped up next to him.

A moment later, Ulrich dropped to the ground nearby, and Yumi stepped over next to Aelita as the four of them eyed their surroundings.

"...Did you all make it?"

"We're all here." Ulrich mumbled, looking up into the dark blue virtual sky above.

The utter silence kept the four of them on edge as they stepped forward, and prepared their various forms of weaponry.

"Where's the activated tower?" Odd touched his paw to his waist after noticing Aelita's confusion.

"Umm..."

"Einstein... What do you mean 'umm'? There's an activated tower around, right?"

Aelita looked to Yumi, and Ulrich to Odd, during the momentary pause that followed.

"Got it... The display was having a hard time locating it. It's to the Northeast... Follow the path in front of you."

"...Vehicles, Jeremy."

"Patience, Yumi."

She eyed the sky above, hoping he could somehow see her expression, and closed both of her fans as the Overwing appeared, followed by the Overboard, and the Overbike, all in a line.

Almost immediately, Ulrich hopped onto the single-wheeled bike, and took off ahead, leaving the others behind hastily.

Odd looked at both of the girls after stepping uneventfully onto the overboard.

"If it wasn't the past few days... I'd ask what his problem was." Yumi sighed, stepping onto the overwing, and then watching Aelita gingerly step onto Odd's overboard.

The three of them then shot forward in pursuit of the brunette boy, who was only a speck with a cloud of icy dust trailing behind in the distance.

* * *

Yumi, flying high above the ground, watched as Odd maneuvered through great sweeping curves as he went forward, doing his best to provide a fun, yet somewhat safe ride for Aelita.

The smile on both of their faces delighted the Japanese girl for a moment, having not seen either of them do so in a long time.

Her eyes then fell upon the girl's arms latched around Odd's waist, and her head on his shoulder.

A far cry from simply holding her hands to his sides in days past...

Yumi then turned her head away, and after looking briefly to see how far ahead Ulrich was, she lowered her eyes.

Aelita was lucky that she still had Odd to hold onto during this whole mess... While everybody else had nobody.

It was unfair, but wasn't worth complaining about right then.

* * *

Ulrich slowed the overbike to a halt, seeing the tower in the distance, and after a few seconds of waiting, the distinct flying sounds of the other two vehicles growing louder.

"We see the tower, Jeremy."

"No monsters in sight though." Odd noted, slightly disappointed.

"Continue to the tower... That's weird that there's no monsters."

"Maybe Xana has finally realized that we'll always keep him in check these days and stop his mischief."

"Forget it Odd. There's only one th-."

Ulrich's mouth simply stopped, and the others looked towards the tower.

Three big grey spheres virtualized, and fell to the icy ground below, all in a line.

"Holy..."

"Xana's sending you guys a monster!"

"Not one - _Three!_"

Just after saying that, the three megatanks in question started rolling towards them, and after halting, quickly opened.

"LOOK OUT!" Odd yelled, and stomped on the rear of the overboard, just between Aelita's feet, and all three of the vehicles suddenly sped into motion, diverting evasively in different directions, Ulrich and Yumi towards the left, and Odd and Aelita to the right.

A split second afterward, all three of the megatanks unleashed their signature vertical wall-laser at the spot where the warriors were, but realizing their targets weren't there, they quickly retracted their halves together, and turned and pursued their targets.

* * *

Yumi, discovering that she was about to be caught in a crossfire, flew low, and flipped off of the overwing, landing and sliding to a halt on her feet, and then watching as two orange walls of laser-fire shot past around her, and made quick work of the flying machine she was just using.

Breaking into an evasive run towards one of the megatanks, she suddenly noticed that Ulrich, perched on the rear of the overbike in the distance, was heading pel-mel towards the same megatank.

* * *

Ulrich gritted his teeth, only seconds away from running straight into the megatank ahead.

He hoped that it was still paying attention to Yumi.

Moments from a crash, he jumped off the bike in a supersprint, and gripped his saber with both hands as he floated gracefully through the air.

_**SMASH.**_

The overbike ran directly into the megatank and exploded, and after being inherently startled, the megatank rolled over backwards to identify what had just happened.

_Perfect._

Ulrich descended in an arc, and with split second timing, thrust his saber right into it's eye.

A direct hit, but he was then jerked into an uncontrolled frontflip, and tumbled forward into the ground, narrowly missing Yumi as she screeched to a halt to avoid him.

An explosion then confirmed the destruction of the monster, and Ulrich then watched with a smirk as his trusty saber slid to a halt a few feet away.

* * *

Aelita clutched onto Odd for dear life as he tried hard to avoid wall-after-wall of orange lasers being shot at him, pulling numerous tight corners and changing elevation as often as he could.

After attempting a rather risky loop and barely cresting the top of another laser blast, Odd grunted, seeing that both of his friends on the ground had distracted one of the two megatanks that were trying desperately to shoot him down.

Diving lower towards the icy surface, the blonde boy pushed the board as fast as it could go, and slowly started to circle the megatank in a large circle.

Hearing and seeing several laser blasts fall short behind them, the blonde smiled, and touched both of her hands that held onto his waist.

Despite the inherent danger, she grasped his hands, and rested her chin on his neck for a moment.

_Only a moment, was all that was needed._

Odd's ears perked at the sound of the megatank firing again - But this time, the laser wall appeared in front of him.

"Uhhhh - Hang on Aelita!"

Odd kicked the front of the board up and clutched the top, skidding it along the ground below in an attempt to slow it down.

Realizing this wasn't working, he simply let go of the board, knowing full well Aelita was still holding onto him. Thrusting his paws down onto the ground, he tried hard to stop with his claws digging into the ice, and his feet kicking backwards.

He only caught a glimpse of the purple board being destroyed, and shut his eyes.

.

...Only to open them again, discovering he was inches short of a searing wall of laser.

The burst of energy retracted to it's owner, and Odd instantly got to his feet as it charged up another blast.

Getting a breif grasp of Aelita's hand, he nodded at her.

"Stick with me."

The wide eyed girl, not wanting to leave his side as it was, squeezed his hand in response.

Suddenly, Odd blinked, and quickly tugged her to the side, both of them watching as another relentless blast of laser narrowly missed them.

Breaking into a run towards the frustrated megatank, Odd fired several laser arrows at it as a slight distraction, only to dive out of the way in a diagonal somersault.

Gaining ground as the monster charged its weapon again, Odd ran to the left, and quickly sprinted around the spherical monster, pausing for a moment as it searched for him.

"Odd - Watch it!"

He turned around, and seeing the other megatank sighting in on him, ran back around the other megatank, suddenly catching up with Aelita again.

Both of them screeched to a halt together, and Aelita, quite alarmed to be between two megatanks about ready to devirtualize them both, tugged Odd's arm one way.

To her surprise, the boy collected her in a tight embrace, and turned to the side, watching warily as the walls of laser from both megatanks sailed past in front and behind, close enough to feel the radiant heat on his face.

The nearest megatank quickly discovered to its own horror, that it had just blasted its ally's mid-section, and watched as it exploded, and the wall of laser in front of Odd vanished.

The blonde boy leaned forward, and jumped, falling to the ground with Aelita still clutching him, away from the other megatank which was quickly dispatched by a fast moving fan from Yumi.

Silence then fell over the Ice sector once again, and both Ulrich and Yumi approached the two.

"...Nice going guys. The tower is not far."

Odd breathed a sigh, and pushed himself up, letting Aelita release her arms, and rest on the ground for a few moments.

While wide-eyed, and a bit alarmed, she still mustered a slight smile as Odd offered his arm, and pulled her to her feet.

"Kinda like dodging Trains. Fast ones at that." Odd smiled, propping his arm on his side, and flicking his tail as Ulrich and Yumi both eyed him.

"...And when have you done that, may I ask?"

"Guys, the tower. Last thing we nee-."

A metal clang was heard over the intercom, from a sheet of metal falling from the ceiling in the lab.

"...Need, is to wait."

"Lets get going then." Yumi sighed.

The four of them broke into a run towards the looming tower, which displayed an ominous ring of red aura around its top.

* * *

Coming to a halt, they watched as Aelita stepped forward, and shut her eyes, reached her hands forward to phase through the base.

"...Uh, Guys? What are you doing over there?" Jeremy spoke, questionably.

.

Feeling nothing, she opened her eyes, and quickly discovered that she was somehow not in the tower.

Looking up, she only saw a misty image of the tower, and her mouth opened in confusion.

"Jeremy... The tower here isn't... Real."

"You guys aren't even at the tower!"

"...What?" Odd blinked, and stepped forward, looking up at the false image of the supposed activated tower.

"Where is it then?" Ulrich snapped.

"To your right."

The brunette boy looked over, and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Another invisible tower huh?"

"...I can see it right here on the screen, Ulrich."

"I can't see it here with my eyeballs!"

Yumi stepped up beside Ulrich, and after looking at Aelita, she peered over at the same spot of empty landscape.

"Jeremy, even if there's a tower there... We can't see it at all."

"Xana must have cloaked it... Let me see if I can undo that."

Suddenly, an instantly recognizable sound.

Aelita gasped, and turned around to see the dreaded Scyphozoa right behind her.

The image of the false tower suddenly disappeared, and the hidden tower came into view.

Odd's eyebrows nearly rose off his forehead as he watched as Aelita was suddenly snatched by the tentacles of the Scyphozoa, and almost instinctively, he armed his gloves, and pelted it with several laser arrows.

...To no effect.

"Jeremy, we can see the tower now, but..."

"You can? I didn't think that would work."

"The scyphozoa just appeared and has Aelita!"

"But... What does it want with her now?"

"I don't know! Xana already got what he wanted before!"

"Two more monsters on the way guys!"

Two krabes virtualized right behind Odd, and upon landing, the blonde jumped and started running away, causing one of the krabes to quickly pursue him.

Ulrich blinked, looking at Aelita, and then the second Krabe as it spotted him.

"Super-sprint!"

The boy burst forward in a flash of yellow, and before the krabe could even react, he thrust his Katana up and cut clean through the underside of the krabe as he passed, destroying it in an explosion of data.

In the meantime, Yumi spun around and flung both of her fans towards the Scyphozoa as it held Aelita in its clutches and began draining a differently colored liquid from her.

Both hit their mark right into the body of the scyph, but it merely paused, and then resumed, leaving Yumi to catch her returning fans in frustration.

"Jeremy... The scyphozoa isn't reacting to mine or Odd's weapons..."

"Uhh... Why?"

Yumi touched her hand to the back of her head.

"You're telling me!"

"Keep trying... That's all I can say, Yumi."

* * *

"Odd - Duck!"

The blonde boy blinked, and dove to the ground, watching as the same Yellow flash sailed over his head, and just like last time, Ulrich's saber made quick work of cutting through the Krabe.

.

He screeched to a halt, and Odd jumped to his feet, and sprinted over.

.

"Did you use your saber on it? It didn't do anything after I blasted it with a few laser arrows."

"My fans didn't do anything either - Maybe it got stronger!" Yumi huffed as she skidded to a halt besides the two boys.

"We gotta do something, like, right now." Ulrich shook his head.

Both he, and Yumi, then watched as Odd peered up towards the sky.

Looming up above, was a precarious, curved spike of Ice that jutted out away from the wall it was attached to, and hung over the scyph, and Aelita in its grasp.

"What about that?"

"Odd..."

"Ulrich. Throw your saber. You too Yumi. We gotta try and get that to break off."

Odd started running towards the wall, and Ulrich squinted his eyes at the ice spike. It was a questionable idea, but an idea nonetheless, and time was running out.

He held his saber out, and using his other hand, flipped it around in a sophisticated manner, and after getting a good grip, he wound up, and flung it upwards.

.

Just afterward, Yumi flung both of her fans upward at high velocity, beating the saber by less than a second.

* * *

Odd, climbing up the wall as fast as he could, watched as all three impacted the spike at just the right spot, right underneath the middle, and several distinct cracking noises were heard.

The blonde boy grinned victoriously as large cracks appeared, quickly progressing upwards, and the spike started to give way...

Only to pause in protest, stuck fast.

"NO!" Odd yelled, and leaped away from the wall, barely grasping Ulrich's saber which was imbedded more than halfway into the spike.

Letting go of one hand, he proceeded to pelt the fractured area of ice with numerous laser arrows, slowly causing the cracks to expand and grow deeper, increasing the stress on the ice, until finally...

Half of the spike gave way in one last heave, and the saber Odd was holding onto slid freely out of its hole, and along with the great chunk of ice, both started plummeting to the ground.

* * *

Both Yumi and Ulrich started running forward, but quickly screeched to a halt as the spike of ice crashed into the earth with a thunderous smash, shaking the ground beneath their feet, and causing several massive cracks to splinter from the impact.

Odd, having bounced off the spike in midair, lessening his fall, tumbled to the ground hard, and lay sprawled out, the saber stuck into the ground nearby.

"You go to Odd... I'll go to Aelita." Ulrich commanded, and both split into a run in different directions.

* * *

Ulrich slowed to a walking pace, and eyed the spike, which was indeed bigger than it seemed, as it lay on the ground, cracked, but solid.

Only a tentacle was visible from underneath, of the once fearful Scyphozoa.

He walked further, fearing the worst, but upon rounding the giant chunk of ice...

"Aelita!"

He quickly came to her side, and breathed a sigh of relief from her wide open, scared eyes.

"Ulrich... What..."

"You just need to get to the tower, Princess."

She held onto his hand as he pulled her right up to her feet, and he smiled as she stared at the massive ice chunk that nearly flattened her too.

"Are you alright Aelita? I have no idea what they all just did on the map, but something big just fell..."

"I'm fine..."

"Guys... Where did the scyph go?"

"Dead."

"..._How?_"

"Odd's rapid geological change theory."

"But... You guys destroyed it?"

"I'm pretty sure it won't recover from being flattened."

Aelita looked at Ulrich from the silence over the intercom.

"I can't believe it! You guys actually destroyed the scyphozoa! Hurry up and deactivate the tower Aelita - I gotta bring you guys in..."

"Hope you don't mind a little bit of jogging..." Ulrich grinned.

Aelita smiled somewhat, and both of them ran towards the actual tower without a pause.

* * *

At the base, Aelita then looked at Ulrich.

"Where are the others?"

"You'll see them back at home..."

She nodded, turned, and phased through the tower, disappearing inside.

.

After a minute or two, Ulrich looked up, and watched as the red aura around the top of the tower faded to white.

_Mission over._

"You can start materializing us, Jeremy."

"I'm on it."


	38. Chapter 38

Jeremy exploded out of the supercomputer chair, and dashed quickly to the elevator, pausing for a moment as the gigantic lock on the door opened.

He then jumped inside and pressed the 'up' button incessantly, wanting to get to the scanner room as fast as possible.

* * *

Odd stepped out of the scanner, and caught his breath, and watched as Ulrich set his hand on his shoulder.

"Nice work back there on Lyoko."

"I get the feeling Xana won't be recovering from losing his pet for a while." Yumi spoke up, smiling as Ulrich eyed her with a nod.

Then, one of the scanners opened again, and Aelita stepped out in a slight daze.

Her eyes rose to her three friends, and in particular, to Odd, who stepped over, and collected her in a tight hug, and stumbled back towards the center of the scanner room.

A few seconds later, the elevator door opened, and Jeremy walked into the room with a smile on his face.

He threw up his hands for a moment, and breathed a sigh.

"What can I say?"

"Debriefing?" Ulrich suggested.

"No need. Mission accomplished... You guys did awesome out there."

"And now the schyphozoa is no more." Yumi added.

"I"ll have to keep an eye on that... But I'm certain that Xana won't be up to much for a while. You guys dealt a big blow that will be hard for him to recover from."

"You know what I think...?" Odd piped up from behind the other three.

They looked back, and seeing Aelita's head drooped over his shoulder, eyes trying to close, the voice volume lowered rather fast.

"...We should all celebrate by going to bed."

"I agree..." Jeremy nodded, quite tired himself, just like his friends.

The four of them walked over to the elevator, and piled inside, waiting for a few seconds as the elevator door shut, and the car began its ascent up the shaft, to the factory floor.

* * *

Jeremy looked at Aelita, who was slumped onto Odd's back, unable to stay awake, and then at Odd himself, who was thinking about how far behind the others he would be with an extra passenger on board.

Noticing Einstein looking at him, Odd slowly raised an eyebrow in return, but was met with a neutral, tired glance instead of a scowl.

_You went down this road, Odd... You'd better live up to what you told us._

* * *

Despite Odd's worry in the elevator, his friends all kept alongside him as they made their way to the canal alongside the Factory, and they eventually walked out under the dark, night sky above.

"I'm not even going to ask what time it is..." Ulrich drawled as the group turned the corner after the bridge, and slowly made their way back to the academy.

"Time for me to get back home again..." Yumi drawled, and started walking away from the others.

"Night!"

"Goodnight."

Ulrich smiled as she waved back to them tiredly, but the smile vanished quickly when she looked away, and disappeared from sight.

Another day of indecision was dawning, and he hated the feeling of it.

* * *

The three boys did a quick glance around to make sure they hadn't been seen, and then slipped into the dark dormitory building.

Despite having Aelita on his back, Odd kept pace with the other two as they briskly jogged up the stairs, retrieving the pillow and quieting down as they entered the hallway.

Rounding the corner, Jeremy gave Ulrich and Odd a momentary nod, and then ducked into his room, and shut the door with a barely audible _*click*_.

The two boys then made their way to their own room, and Ulrich eyed Odd as he continued to the second set of stairs.

"Are you _really_..."

"Putting her in bed, dude."

The brunette boy then nodded in approval, and stepped into the room without a sound.

Odd turned back around to the stairs, and after a huff of breath, quickly made his way up to the girl's hallway, trying his best to make as little noise as he could.

* * *

Poking inside her dark room, he shut the door behind, and then staggered over to her bed.

After thinking of how to unload Aelita off himself without waking her up, he sunk down onto the bed, on his chest, and then rolled to the side, and let go of her arms.

Just as he expected, she drew away from him, and settled softly on her back, and to Odd's own amazement, did not stir.

He released his held breath, and after looking her over for a moment, he eyed her boots, and figured she'd be more comfortable without them.

Kneeling by her feet, he kept an eye on her as he daintily pulled one of the pink boots off her foot.

A moment later, her other boot was off, too.

He set it down, as if it were a glass slipper, and then returned to her side, and for a moment, couldn't help but to take in her gentle, peaceful face.

He lowered his head, and touched his lips to her cheek -

And then, her face slowly became a smile.

Odd drew himself away, and her eyes tiredly peeped open, looking at him.

"Sleeping beauty..." He whispered, slightly surprised that she even awakened.

A small groan escaped from inside her, and Odd set his hand on top of hers.

"Should I tuck you in...?"

Her eyes closed, in a subtle nod.

Odd then pulled her sheets back, and she moved herself some so he could tug them out from under her.

He then threw them up over her, and she shifted around underneath, finding a comfortable position, and then breathing a relaxing sigh.

Her eyes then peeked open again, and Odd's eyebrow raised slightly as she eyed him in appreciation.

"...Comfy?"

She reached her hand over, and with a finger under his chin, she brought him up close, and shared a goodnight kiss.

She then rested her head again, and Odd touched his index finger to her cheek.

"Sweet dreams... _Princess_."

He watched silently, as she drifted back into her prior dozing, and eventually, to sleep.

Falling victim to the allure of sleep himself, Odd stood to his feet, and kept an eye on Aelita as he stepped to her bedroom door.

There, he mouthed '_I love you_...' to her, and then turned and walked out into the hallway, and shut her door.

* * *

Ulrich looked up, startled, as Odd suddenly and quietly appeared, and fell onto his bed.

He stretched his arms, and then pulled both his outer purple shirt and the undershirt off, and tossed them aside onto the floor.

After reaching over and pushing the door shut, Ulrich's eyes wandered to the ceiling as Odd shuffled around.

"Is our Princess in bed?"

"Comfortably."

"...Is she asleep?"

"You'd better believe it."

A smile then came across the brunette's face.

"I think everybody can sleep easy, now that she can..."

Odd then found himself smiling too, but ended up caught a big yawn.

He peered up at the alarm clock on the desk, and then shut his eyes in slight disbelief.

_1:47 am._


	39. Chapter 39

_Morning._

* * *

Yumi sat at the table in the kitchen of her home, quietly eating breakfast beside her dad, who was reading the Boulogne-Billancourt newspaper that they got every morning, like usual.

To her own suspicion, she was able to slip back home only hours before, a bit later than usual, and not get caught, even by Hiroki.

Maybe things were turning around in her and her friend's favor for once...

* * *

Jeremy sat on his bed, and stared at his large desktop computer from a distance.

Even with the destruction of the scyphozoa presenting an open opportunity to slow Xana down even further, the blonde was leaning towards spending a much-needed day with his friends, especially since a day before, they were ready to kill each other.

He grunted, and unplugged his phone from the wall charger, and without a second thought, stood to his feet, stepped out of the doorway, and closed the door on his computer, which sat in silence, off.

* * *

Ulrich watched himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth.

He would already be with Yumi, and would probably be happy, but with his prior tenure on the soccer team, and being a strapping young man in general, he garnered the attention of girls too easily.

While ones like Sissi were easy to ignore, there were girls that weren't as easy to brush off.

_For instance..._

"...Thinking about Emily?" Odd spoke up, leaning against the sink counter, waiting patiently for his friend.

"...Yeah."

Odd watched as Jeremy stepped over from a distance, and then smirked.

"Emily _LeDuc_..."

Ulrich straightened out, and shot Odd a flat look.

"Why is my predicament so funny to you...?"

"It just is."

Jeremy glanced at Ulrich, and then continued onward, back out into the hallway, and the brunette boy tossed his towel over his shoulder, and walked past Odd.

"Go find Aelita or something."

* * *

Indirectly heeding his friend's suggestion, Odd, dressed in his usual purple attire, found his way to the stairwell, and leaned against the wall, and waited.

After a few minutes, he drew his phone from his pocket, and quickly sent a text message.

Seconds later, he got a reply, and with a smile, dropped the phone back into the pocket again, and watched the occasional student walk by, and go down the stairs.

Something pink in color then appeared in the corner of his eye, but he continued looking straight ahead, though unable to resist a smile on his face.

.

After being nudged on the shoulder, he casually turned his head, and discovered indeed, that Aelita was leaning against the wall, next to him.

Her own eyes wandered over, and she turned her head, and her heart stirred, catching a certain Della Robbia's eyes in her own.

"Morning."

"Good Morning..." She chimed in reply, and upon seeing his outstretched hand, she grasped it in her own, and breathed a happy sigh.

After a period of silence, she eyed him curiously.

"...Breakfast?"

"I'm starving." He nodded.

"Then lets take care of that..." She smiled, and led him down the stairs by his arm, forcing him to catch up and keep by her side.

* * *

Odd pushed one of the doors open with his free arm, and followed her out to the open air outside.

He took in a deep breath of the clean, sweet air, but was then tugged just around the corner of the Dormitories, out of view of anybody walking out.

Odd, knowing there was a reason for the change of course, grasped her other hand, causing her to blush a little - he did exactly what she wanted him to do.

She then kept her face close to his, and touched his nose with her own.

"I just want to say..."

She interrupted her own words with a breif, innocent kiss - which ended up being longer and better than she intended.

"...Thank you for tucking me in last night."

Odd's face grew into a subtle grin, and he pulled her up close in a one armed hug, and they both turned and headed towards the cafeteria.

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't take care of my girl."

Aelita blushed, and for a moment, rested her chin onto his shoulder as they neared the little rectangular building where the day's breakfast was served.

"I think I can tell you something..." She cooed.

He paused, and his eyebrow rose.

She shut her eyes, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"...I love yoouuu."

Odd grinned, and hugged her tightly inside his own arms.

"...And I love you too, Princess."

* * *

Moving through the line quickly, the couple meandered over to their usual table, which already had Ulrich and Jeremy sitting at it.

"Morning..." Aelita greeted them happily, and sat down across from Ulrich, just as Odd sat next to her.

Right on schedule, Yumi appeared at the table, pleasantly surprised to see all four of her friends already there.

"Morning everyone!"

"Hey Yumi."

"Hello."

She sat down next to Aelita, and after getting settled for a moment, busied herself with a second breakfast that she didn't quite need.

For several minutes, silence hung over the table as everybody ate.

Then, Yumi set down her fork, and propped her head up with her arms, with a cheery smile.

"...Isn't this nice? We're all a happy family again."

"A dysfunctional one at that..." Ulrich muttered.

Jeremy eyed the brunette he sat next to, and then confirmed his thoughts with a grunt.

"Ulrich appears to have sort of returned to his old self..."

The brunette boy looked up, and after glancing at the four friends looking at him, he sarcastically displayed a big, toothy smile, and then resumed his downward glance at his tray.

"...Almost." Odd spoke, watching then as Aelita cheekily plucked his fork from his hand with a giggle, and then dropped her own fork onto his tray.

The other three watched as he twisted the fork around in his fingers, and then eyed the girl with one eye shut.

"...Yes?" She asked, stifling her own mirth as best as she could, but unable to keep a big smile from growing on her face.

Odd, realizing that four people were watching him intently, slowly shook his head.

"You do realize you won't get this back..."

"I don't want it back."

"Good." He retorted, with a grin of his own, and then stuck the fork forcefully onto the last bit of food on his plate.

Aelita stuck her tongue out at him, and watched as he put the fork into his mouth, and held it in with his teeth.

Odd then watched as she pulled the fork right out of his mouth, and held it upright in her hand, displaying it like a trophy.

"...Now I've got both."

Odd snickered, and then swallowed.

"Doesn't matter, cause I'm done eating."

He stood up, and picked up his tray, and started walking away from the table, leaving Aelita behind as he headed for the door.

She looked at the other two boys, and then at Yumi, who had a confident smile on her face.

"_Get him_."

Aelita's eyes narrowed, and she craned her head up, and spotted the blonde, who was twiddling his thumbs at the door.

She then jumped to her feet, and collected her tray, and casually started towards the door.

Setting her tray down on the stack after emptying it, she turned around, only to discover the door was already open, and Odd was walking away outside...


	40. Chapter 40 Final

Hearing footsteps, Odd turned his head, and instantly grinned, and broke into a run as Aelita made a beeline for him.

Their pursuit went across the courtyard, but he then disappeared behind a corner, and Aelita slowed herself as she rounded the corner as well -

* * *

- Only to collide into a spinning embrace, in his arms.

She exhaled deeply, being startled, but also to catch her breath from the quick dash.

A sweet little smile then grew on her face as their slow spin drew to a halt, with Odd backed against the brick wall of the building next to them.

"Too many people in there..." He whispered, and hugged her a little tighter.

She twisted herself back and forth a little bit, and touched her forehead daintily against his.

"Yeah..." She breathed, in an even quieter whisper.

They stood together quietly, and listened to the sounds of the suburb around the academy, and the city of Paris just beyond, which was only a dull roar in the distance.

.

Both of them jumped when the sound of the school bell pierced the air, and Aelita sighed.

"First class."

"...We've still got five minutes." Odd drawled.

Her eyes rose back up to his.

"As long as we aren't late..."

Odd touched her nose with his own, and kept his face close to hers.

"I think the world can wait for a minute or two."

Aelita's heart stirred happily.

"...I think so too."

Their lips came together quietly in a sincere kiss, and for a moment, the world was patient, as they stayed together in a tight, connected embrace.

Their moment of peace, was a debt owed anyway, for keeping the world safe...

* * *

**END.**

* * *

**But not the end of the series! Keep an eye out for my other stories, and please feel free to post new reviews in regards to this finally completed SUPER update - I would greatly appreciate feedback if you enjoyed this story!**

**Thanks for reading!  
**

**_~SMPG394_**


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